Survival tips for those who think their boss is a psychopath

Those who heard about a recent study that claimed one in 25 company bosses are psychopaths and believe that their boss is one of them needn’t cringe any more. Turns out, there is still hope.

Evelyn Williams, associate vice-president of leadership development/professor of practice at Wake Forest University Schools of Business says knowing your boss’s work style could be the key to succeeding.

“Knowing your boss’s work style gives you a road map you can use to make adjustments and deliver the work that will please a difficult boss,” she says.

Williams says you should ask yourself questions such as to how your boss likes to communicate, does your boss focus on details or big picture and what is more important to your boss: analysis and data or human relationships to determine your best working road map.

Observing your boss to see if he uses introverted or extroverted discussion patterns and resort to quick resolution or decision by committee when it comes to decisions could also prove important when charting out your survival strategies.

“Knowing the answers to these questions allows you to take control of your working relationship and do a good job of managing up,” says Williams.

"You won’t feel like the victim and will have control of how to manage the relationship since there are multiple ways to accomplish these tasks," she adds.