Difficult Boss

Christian Working Woman Transcript

Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - When Your Boss Belittles You

Let’s look at some relationship issues on the job that many of us face, have faced, or will face. These are situations that are not always black and white, and require God's wisdom to deal with successfully.

For example: "How should a Christian respond when a boss belittles him or her?" Unfortunately this is a fairly common occurrence in our business worlds, where a boss gives negative feedback in front of other people, or makes fun of you in some way. Perhaps that boss just always manages to find something wrong in everything you do, and they tell you about it in a meeting, or loudly standing at your desk. It's humiliating and belittling.

Our first human reaction in cases like this is usually either to resist and strike back, or to be intimidated and retreat or run away. Neither reaction is proper. When any person tends to belittle other people frequently, we should understand that it is a symptom of insecurity. Underneath the intimidating facade is a person who can only feel good about himself or herself by making someone else look small.

A Christian has to learn to move from the self-focused reaction which is typical in these situations–"Oh, poor me. This is not fair to me" - to a God-focused reaction, understanding how God sees this person. And that comes only through prayer. Start praying for that boss.

I don't mean that you pray for lightning to strike them, but you pray that God will give you His perspective of this person. Pray that God will help you see beneath the facade and get a glimpse of why they are the way they are. Pray that in spite of their unfair treatment, you will be able to respond in Christ-like ways, and ask God for His wisdom.

You know, every person in your life is there through God's permissive will, and that means that God can turn the tough situation into an avenue of growth and learning for you, even if the other person never changes.

So, my first advice is to pray for that boss everyday before you leave for work. And pray for wisdom. You will be amazed to see what happens to you when you start to pray for that difficult manager.