How To Deal With An Intimidating Boss

First, Deal With Yourself
Is your boss really an intimidating presence in your life at work, or are you experiencing some professional insecurities of your own? If you are not as confident as you would like to be in your job and how you perform it, you might experience your boss as intimidating because of his or her position - it's his or her job to evaluate you and make demands upon you. If you feel intimidated and are unsure of your abilities, your boss might not be as intimidating as you think - it might just be that you don’t feel up to the challenge.

Deal Professionally With Your Intimidating Boss Maybe your insecurities make your boss more of an intimidating figure than her or she seeks to make herself, or maybe - it’s been known to happen - maybe you have a boss who does rule by fear. What can you do to make the situation more pleasant? First, remember that while you might not be equals on the food chain in your office, you are both professionals. If you conduct yourself with professional aplomb, you will find even a truly intimidating boss much less intimidating as time goes by.

Manage Your Boss's Expectations -- Then Exceed Them
But what is professional aplomb? Make sure you’ve covered all the prerequisites of your job, for starters. Whatever your basic responsibilities are, perform them as perfectly as you can. If you fear harsh judgment from your intimidating boss, sit down with him or her at the onset of each assignment and have your boss explain his or her expectations to you. Your boss will appreciate this -- what boss, intimidating or not, does not appreciate an employee's willingness to make sure the job gets done correctly?

Furthermore, if your boss down the road has a change of heart about what his or her expectations were for the project, you can gently remind him or her about your discussion before you even got to work. In fact, it might not be a bad idea to document your conversation, not in a confrontational way, but in a way that keeps the lines of communication open. When you and your boss have had a chance to sit down and go over what exactly it is you're supposed to be doing, take notes. When the meeting is over, shoot your boss a quick e-mail thanking him or her for their time, and asking them to confirm that what you took away from the meeting is in line with what he or she has in mind.

When All Else Fails, Ask For More Work
Generally, when a boss intimidates, you feel that that person is not on your side. If you can't get your intimidating boss to be less intimidating by managing his or her expectations in the basic duties of your job, you can try to show him or her that you're a valuable person to have around when you make it clear you'll go above and beyond your basic job description.

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