Getting Along With Your Idealist Boss

What clues can you use to see if your boss might be an Idealist? Is your boss more focused on the future than the past or the present? Does your boss move their arms in such a way as pulling the group toward them or uplifting everyone's spirits? Does your boss talk about how you or your co-workers have grown? Do you notice that your boss enjoys praising others? If so, your boss could be an Idealist.

Hot buttons for an Idealist boss are:

• Employees who don't want to learn new skills
• Employees who refuse to work effectively with others
• Employees who are intolerant of others' beliefs.

Being successful with your Idealist boss means you need to show a positive attitude. Negative attitudes are toxic to Idealist bosses. They believe that positive thinking coupled with ingenuity can solve problems. Idealists work well with the brainstorming process. You can impress your boss by generating many possibilities. Reserve the critiquing of various ideas until multiple possibilities are generated.

Your Idealist boss is likely to praise employees, but often they do not receive praise in return. Learn to recharge their batteries by occasionally giving them a positive comment. Both of you will benefit.

There are four different kinds of Idealist bosses. The Idealist Teacher provides a warm atmosphere with coaching, mentoring, and teaching. Be sure to respond positively to this coaching or else your boss will quit paying attention to you. The Idealist Counselor is more sensitive than most to difficulties that are not readily seen by others. Keep in mind that they really want the best for all so treat any warnings as something to heed. The Idealist Champion leads through enthusiasm and cultivates a large network. Be positive, even when reporting problems to your boss; negativity short-circuits their problem-solving abilities and their ability to effectively mobilize their network. The Idealist Healer thinks in terms of human resources available to apply to problems. Talk to them in positively in terms of people's best abilities; then you will be on the same wave length.

Idealist Teachers and Idealist Counselors are fairly direct in their communication, and will coat their statements with a great deal of tact. Idealist Champions and Idealist Healers are so sensitive to negativity, that they find it almost impossible to give negative feedback. With all Idealist bosses, it is smart to ask about how you could improve. Then they feel free to give you honest feedback. Be sure that when you ask for it, that you will be willing to act upon their suggestions. They will have been thinking about how they could help you become more successful. Remember, they genuinely want the best for you.