Episode 78: My Boss is a Jerk! (Guardian Edition)

This is our 4th episode in our DBAJAW Guardian series – a series of episodes focusing on the concerns and perspectives of future business and HR professionals. We call them the guardians because they are the next generation that will strive to keep the jerkiness down at work.

Our Guardian this time around is Amrit Humpal, a 2nd year student in the British Columbia Institute of Technology Human Resources Management Program. Amrit talks with us about what makes a boss NOT a jerk, and how that’s an important factor in deciding where he’ll work in the future. Besides being passionate about HR and positive work environments, Amrit is also VERY passionate about the Vancouver Canucks. 

Key Takeaways:

• Good boss traits include compassion and empathy -- a boss that recognizes when their team member may be having a hard time.

• Also...recognizing when their team members are doing a great job! Not taking it (and them!) for granted.

• When assessing whether or not you want to approach your boss about a difficult behaviour they are exhibiting (scary situation!!), motivate yourself by focusing on the positive that could come out of it! Nothing will change if you say nothing.

Bonus Takeaway:

• The next gen is generation Alpha! Born between 2010 and 2024. Wow.

Episode 63: Don't Let ONE Jerk Ruin it ALL!

During recruitment, one thing that consistently comes up from candidates is that they want to work somewhere with a good team and people that work well together. In many ways, that idea seems pretty baseline…of course, most of us want to work with people that we like and work well with. But it did get us thinking…how realistic is this wish? Are we going to get along with all of the people, all of the time?

Key Takeaways:

• If it’s really one person, think about all the other people you enjoy working with everyday! Do your values align with most of the people you work with? Try and get some perspective before determining that quitting is the only option.

• Adaptability is imperative to finding a way to work with people we perceive are jerks. See if you can still create connection with people that you don’t automatically like.

• While it’s all of our responsibility to address the jerks and the jerky behaviour, it’s especially your responsibility If you are in a position of power and influence. 

Bonus Takeaway:

• Don’t let the jerks win!

Episode 50: Putting Down the Gavel

What can we do differently at work to be less judgy and how can we learn to better mind our own business? 

Even when we keep our judgy thoughts to ourselves, it’s still not a positive thing. Is there a way to reduce these thoughts from the get-go?And what about those mother-daughter relationships!? The judging behaviours seem to be at full-tilt there. Why is that? Hmmmmm… We go deep!

Key Takeaways:

• Unless your name is Judy, is it ever really acceptable to pass judgment?

• There can be a real snowball effect! Like a lot of negative things, it can spiral. No good! Even more no good during extremely stressful times like the one we are in now.

• When we put down the gavel, we are way more likely to be able to see and hear other peoples’ opinions and great ideas which of course is valuable and builds connection.

Bonus Takeaway:

• Uggs and those who wear them deserve to be judged. Enough said. (Joking! Sort of.)

Episode 47: Play Nice With Others

We talk all the time about the importance of NOT being a jerk at work and yet when we look around, there are so many examples of successful jerks out there. How does this happen? In this episode, we talk about the correlation between success and jerky behaviours, the sustainability of that success, and whether or not being the big boss gives you permission to be a bit of a jerk sometimes. (Hint: it doesn’t!)

Key Takeaways:

• Speak to people with the same amount of respect, regardless of their level of experience or position in the organization.

• Business can be business and require some really tough decisions...and you still don’t have to be a jerk! At the same time, just because you don’t like someone doesn’t mean they are a jerk. Lack of likeability does not equal a jerk!

• Watch out that you don’t mis-label succinct and efficient behaviours as jerky. Maybe y’all simply have different values.

Episode 20: My Boss is a Jerk (Part3)

In part 3 of, “My Boss is A Jerk,” we wrap up our discussion about typical boss archetypes and behaviour patterns and talk about the best ways to communicate with these boss types. On this episode, we talk about, “The Non-Scalable Boss,” “The Political Boss,” and “The Insecure Boss.”

Episode 19: My Boss is a Jerk (Part 2)

This episode is a continuation of last week’s discussion on boss archetypes and behaviour patterns. On this episode, we talk about, “The Micromanaging Boss,” “The Moody Boss,” and “The Reluctant Boss.”

Episode 18: My Boss is a Jerk (Part 1)

There are all kinds of bosses out there. Some are good, some are bad, and most are somewhere in between (a work in progress). There are so many different boss types out there that we’ve turned this topic into a 3-parter! For episodes 18, 19, and 20, we talk about common boss archetypes, ways to communicate with a boss who shows a particular behaviour pattern, how we might be enabling certain behaviour patterns, and what you can do if you recognize these patterns of behaviours in yourself. On this episode, we talk about, “The Busy Boss,” and “The Inner Circle Boss.”