Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant™ (TOT): How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job

Chapter 19. Neediness

About Neediness

Just as you begin reaching for your victory M&Ms, your Terrible Office Tyrant (TOT) appears to discuss what he's busy working on.

"I really nailed that McNaster account, didn't I?" he says. "Yup," you answer, but "yup" isn't enough. He's staring you down, expectantly, like a dog waiting to be petted. He wants you to comment on his brilliance, his savvy, his unprecedented boldness in getting McNaster to sign. He also makes it clear that he needs some of the candy you have on your desk.

So you make some supportive noises and he pulls up a chair, asking your opinion about how to implement the new database system, but before you can respond, he's back to McNaster again, rambling on about how hard it was to negotiate terms, how nobody had been able to close the deal before him, and so it goes until your bladder is ready to burst.

At 5:30 pm, he stands up to leave, looks at his watch and says, "Well, I'm sure you have work to do. I'd better let you get to it." Once again, he's managed to keep you in the office late, without even asking about your big project, and he wiped out your chocolate stash to boot!

But Why?

Like toddlers, TOT bosses seem to have radar that tells them when you want to be alone, and that's exactly the time they need you the most. All parents know that if they try to grab a few quiet moments, their child will suddenly appear.

Little Jody ...