You respect, admire and get on well with your boss. You’ve rarely seen a more dedicated, impressive and productive worker. There’s just one problem – they expect the impossible from you on a daily basis.
They’re in early, leave late, and always available online. They move fast, talk fast, fizz with ideas, and have a never-ending wish list of tasks and projects.
The Over-Eager Leader
Over the course of our careers, we’ll experience many different types of leadership. A good boss is likely to respect your opinions, motivate you, and be a joy to work with. A bad boss might undermine you, fail to deliver on promises, and cause undue stress.
An over-eager boss, however, will behave a little like both: they may be respectful, but might also hold unrealistic expectations or give you an unmanageable workload. And when you’re not living up to expectations, it can have a detrimental effect on your work and self-esteem.
Over-eager leaders can come in different flavors, too. Some may have unreasonably high expectations – they think you can handle an insurmountable workload or aren’t aware of how much you’re actually doing. And then there is the over-eager leader who never seems to sleep.
They can do a hundred things at once and never tire or lose enthusiasm – the Thomas Edisons of this world. It can be hard to keep up with such an energetic co-worker, and if that person happens to be your boss, they might expect a subordinate to keep up with them. Both of these situations could lead to you feeling unworthy, anxious, forever rushed off your feet, or even bad at your job.
How Do You Deal With The Over-Eager Leader?
Normally in these types of relationship, no one is setting out to be cruel, abuse power, or underperform. Instead, there is a misalignment of expectation, communication and information. Long-term this can lead to burnout, resentment and stress.
It goes without saying that bosses are the gateway to the next level of your career and getting these relationships right is essential for your professional progression. So how can you deal with an over-eager leader?
Communication
Managers aren’t mind readers. They’ve probably got a million other things going on, so it’s important to establish good lines of communication to make sure that you are both fully informed.
Find channels to present evidence of what you’ve done. For example, keeping time-sheets of your work or arranging regular informal catch-up meetings are great ways to start improving communication. Essentially, find ways to show them how you work!
Once good communication is established you can then identify areas of friction and work on them.
Honesty
But maybe the truth is that you are struggling to keep up. You appear to be working for the Usain Bolt of management and, ultimately, you’ll never meet their expectations. In this situation, honesty is crucial.
If you are falling behind, it’s OK to say so. Some people think the world will end if they admit to their faults but in fact this is one of the best ways to address them. Being up front in this way can even enhance your reputation as a trustworthy team member.
Re-establish exactly what your responsibilities are, and what’s expected of you on a daily or weekly basis. Stand up to unreasonable requests and make it clear that your work is at its best when it’s manageable.
It might be tempting to avoid these difficult conversations; it’s true that you might be able to force yourself to keep up with the breakneck pace for a few months or even a few years, but your work won’t be at its best and there’s also a chance of running headlong into a breakdown. If your manager understands that, it could change their perception of the situation.
Trust
Building trust is critical for a good working relationship. The science behind the benefits of trust is staggering. Businesses with high levels of trust are generally more productive, energetic and innovative. According to one study, there’s a direct correlation between trust levels, staff turnover and profit. And, believe it or not, trust is contagious!
To some extent, it’s true that you’re there to make the boss look good.
And if your boss doesn’t trust you to meet expectations, or you don’t trust your boss, then the relationship and work will suffer. When trust is lost, remember it will take time to rebuild. Showing interest in your manager, by remembering their birthday or asking how their weekend went, will help form a closer relationship too. Just make sure you don’t cross the line into inappropriate behavior!
Realistic Expectations
People naturally begin to form unspecified expectations when taking on a role, and when the unspoken contract of expected behavior is broken, workers can lose trust in their boss and organization.
If you are keeping up with what you believe to be reasonable, but your boss is expecting more, remember that expectations can’t be met if people don’t know what they are. Make your case and show how you’re doing your job effectively and successfully. Always try to keep your boss in the loop. Remember, in this situation, it’s neither you nor your manager who needs to change: it’s the relationship.
If, however, you happen to be working for Superman, and it’s not possible to keep up, you’ll need to adjust your manager’s expectations. This will take a potentially difficult conversation, but afterward, through continued honest dialogue and the rebuilding of trust, you’ll be able to thrive.
When the workload has decreased, or expectations are clearer, you’ll be able to put your energy to good use without the fear of burnout, poor work output, or missed deadlines. Heck, you may even find that you begin to excel!