When your line manager is a bully, what do you do?

You know those LinkedIn ‘thought leaders’?
 
The ones, ironically, who don’t have a single thought of their own, just repost endless tripe about a perfect world?
​ “The best leaders do this. The best leaders do that”.

 
Classics like:
“See someone else’s strength as a complement to your weakness, not a threat.”
 “Be a leader, not a boss”

Okay, I may be too harsh and they mean well, but they are not helping anyone whose boss is unpleasant. And they are out there!
I had a sales manager who had the reputation of being a nasty piece of work.
They absolutely saw someone with strengths as being a threat. They gloried in being in charge, giving orders to do things their way – being the boss.

And it is across the board.

Students on the Leadership and Management MA I run, work in health, education and industry. They all report the nasty boss. McGregor's Theory X is alive and well.

Briefly, Theory X managers say things like:
“Members of my team are lazy. Lack ambition. Like to be led. Resist change. Don’t care about the organisation – only themselves.
So I control them and impose sanctions”.

Whilst it’s pretty clear that a well-motivated and respected workforce will produce better results than a down-trodden one, don’t believe for one second that everyone agrees with this.

Good advice, from people like us, will often suggest taking things to HR, checking the organisation’s policies around workplace well-being and whistleblowing procedures and protection. Very good.

But what if you work in a smaller set-up where there is no HR department or where your unpleasant leader is on close terms with the most senior management?
What I’m saying here is you can follow all the good advice but still not get anywhere. Or even make things worse.

So what can you do? What should I have done, back in the day?

Seek support: Talk to close colleagues. You could find that they are or have been in a similar situation. Have word with friends, or family about your experiences. They can provide a level of emotional support that you might not get at work. Also they offer valuable perspectives.
Take care to not discuss the issue with any co-workers who aren't too good at keeping things confidential. You'll know the ones!
 
Be professional: Keep doing your job to the best of your abilities and don't take your frustrations out on other colleagues. Be sensitive to this if you are a middle leader. Do not kick downwards.
 
This will help you maintain a positive reputation within the organization and  be particularly useful when evaluating your options. For example, if the things get unacceptable you may need to consider working somewhere else. Keeping them on-side now will be good. Antagonising them could lead to you having a poor reference.

Why get trapped working in a place where your concerns are not addressed? It is not worth it.