Toxic Boss Survival Series – Part 2

💼 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰 𝗕𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 – 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟮 💼

𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 & 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

In Part 1, we explored the 𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘁𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝗼𝘀𝘀.

But spotting them is only step one. The real challenge is protecting yourself—without burning bridges.

Here’s a 𝟱-𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁 I’ve implemented over the years:

1️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗬𝗲𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁…” 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲
Say yes—while pushing the decision back.
👉 “Yes, I can take this up, but I’ll need to move Project X. Which should I prioritize?”

2️⃣ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲-𝗕𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸
Block hours for focused tasks and let your boss/team know.
👉 “I’ll be offline 2–4 pm to finish this, but available before/after if needed.”

3️⃣ 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗵𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸
• “I’d love to help, but I’ll need to close this first.”
• “Can we revisit this after the current deadline?”
• “Let me check my bandwidth and get back to you.”

4️⃣ 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘀 = 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱
After meetings, send a polite summary:
👉 “Just to align, here’s what I understood from today’s discussion: [points].”
This creates a record without confrontation.

5️⃣ 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗢𝘄𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝗴
Maintain a factual record of deadlines, tasks, and shifting priorities. It’s not about complaining—it’s about clarity.