Hard times drive some mean bosses over edge

“When (bosses) are mean their teams do not deliver great results, so they become more fearful,” says Sandy Gluckman, author of "Who’s in the Driver’s Seat: Using Spirit to Lead Successfully." “The more fearful they get, the more their ego takes control and the meaner they get. The meaner they get, the more the team shuts down and the less they are able to perform.”

Sometimes manager anxiety is a chain reaction that starts from the very top of an organization, says Matt Eventoff, an executive trainer.

“I recently worked with a team where the manager was perceived as getting ‘colder’ when in fact the director was just pushing for more output but wasn’t messaging it properly,” says Eventoff. “I have also worked with a team where the director was not handling the stresses being placed on him from corporate headquarters well and was in fact not just mismessaging, but being fairly ‘mean.’”

Most managers, Eventoff says, don’t try to see the world through their employees' eyes. Threatening employees with the loss of their jobs will backfire, especially when superstar employees hear that message enough times and hit the road.

The managers who are going to do well in this environment are those who handle stress well,  advises executive search expert Goormastic. That means using stress management tools like  exercise, meditation and time alone — away from the TV and the BlackBerry. “It may sound touchy-feely,” he says, but “the people that become successful leaders are those who can stay calm and cool under fire.”

For workers who are unlucky enough to have a stressed-out and mean boss, there are a host of things you can try.

You can approach your manager and talk to him or her about their behavior. Sometimes people don’t realize how their actions are hurting those around them.

Keep in mind that this can backfire and ignite an even bigger fire under a mean manager. So be sure to be diplomatic when you approach your boss, ask for a private meeting and do it at a time of day when work isn’t crazy and there’s a moment to throttle back a bit.

I’m also an advocate of going over a bad boss’ head if the behavior starts to border on abusive. No one should ever have to take that from anyone.

And finally, there’s always saying goodbye. I know this isn’t the ideal option, especially in this economy, but your mental health sometimes has to trump financial health.

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