A hot-tempered boss is a bad boss, but the fact is that a lot of bad bosses exist and go through their entire lives thinking not only that they have achieved something but also that they were loved. They truly believe that the people at work respect them and love them. Obviously, you do not want to break this little delusion of theirs as it will only inflame them further. On the other hand, if you get the chance to stick it to him/her in some way (kicking them when they are down so to speak) then you should do it. They would not show you any mercy if it were the other way around. Here's how to deal with a hot-tempered boss.
The boss is horrible, so why would you want to work for him or her. Quit the job and do not mention the job on your resume. If you do, then say that the boss was a child and you quit because you refuse to be bullied.
Tell the boss you will not be spoken to in that manner. Then, start taking action such as lodging a formal complaint. If you start to go through the company then the boss will hate you but will fall into line and it will force the boss to stop throwing tantrums.
You can literally blame the parents on this one. When your boss was young he or she would scream at his/her mother or father for something and the parents would submit. From an early age, your boss has learned that making noise and getting angry is the way to go.
As that person grows older, he or she starts to realize that people are easily bullied. Most people don’t want conflict and will submit for the simple perk of making the conflict go away. Your boss has learned how to use this and has woven this foul personality trait into his or her psyche.
There is no need to take the outburst out on yourself. Believe it or not, the outburst is not because of your mistake. It is not even because of you. You could have lost the biggest account in the company, and repercussions are your fault but your boss’s childish outburst is not your fault. As a child, that person would have given the same response if the wind popped his/her balloon.
It is in his/her interest to make you think that the mistake or the “reason” is why he/she is losing his/her temper, but it is simply not the case.
An outburst of temper from another person is nothing to do with you. The outburst is their issue and their drama. If it were truly your fault then that reaction would come from everybody. You could lose the big account and have a boss who says, “How did it happen?”, “How can we fix it?”, “How can we avoid this in the future?” This sort of boss is a good boss and does not feel the need to respond with anger and fury.
The person responding with anger and bad temper is like that for his or her own reasons. Do not be arrogant enough to take it personally. It is hard not to take it personally when the other person is purposefully intimidating you, but you need to look past this.
Do not use relaxation techniques or techniques to block out the impact. Take it all on the nose as if you were training to make yourself immune to mace. Try telling a little joke in your head as the person is losing his or her temper. It will help to test yourself. If you can tell your little joke in your head and almost move over into a good mood then you are becoming pretty immune to the ranting and temper of your incompetent boss.
This is a very good trick, but it takes a lot of practice. Watch some seminars on the Internet about body language. There are positions that a person can take when standing up and sitting down that are not only non-confrontational but are also relaxed and calm. Then learn how to use your voice tone, movement and words to have the same calming effect.
If you are able to use these talents all at once you have a great way of calming your boss down. Your boss screams at you like a child, and you respond with a calm collected voice. It makes your boss appear as if he is making a fool out of himself. Talk confidently but in a quiet tone so that the sound of him shouting is all the more evident to people around. Make sure you speak with absolute confidence.
If you talk quietly but timidly then the boss will simply shout more. Talk with a level tone and a quiet voice but with full confidence and it will take the steam out of the bosses argument. Look up on the Internet how to do it and practice.
This is the last tip and is the worst of the bunch, but it is still an option. The VERY FIRST time your boss loses his or her temper at you, you lose it right back. Start with a classic, “Who the hell do you think you are talking to?” and go from there. Do not threaten to quit or you have lost and the boss has won. If anything, you should suggest that the problem is that of the boss and that the boss should quit.
This technique may appear as if you are going to lose your job, but why would you want to work for such a horrible person anyway. Fighting fire with fire also forces the boss to put his/her money where his/her mouth is, and many times he/she will back down like a scared child.