“My boss is a persister base and I do not see him very often.  I have a supervisor that I do see frequently and we have a great working relationship.  My supervisor knows me, and I know him and all is well.

However, with my boss, the head of the agency, every time I see him all he seems to notice is what is wrong with what I am doing, or worse, he goes on the attack for his belief that I am not acting in alignment with the Mission and Vision of the organization.

My supervisor, with whom I have a great relationship, does not agree with any of my boss’s perspective.

Come on, do I really have to ask for my Boss’s opinion and meet his psychological needs (work and conviction) when I am with him?”

The answer is a resounding YES!

This is upward motivation.  Your boss is in distress and there may be any number of reasons as to why, and none of them may have anything to do with you.  The why of his distress does not matter.  What matters is that you ask for his opinions frequently, which will build up his trust (see “Closing Channels Builds Trust” blog) and meet his psychological needs (work and conviction).  This will invite him to be in a healthy space with you.

So, Yes! You must ASK for your boss’s OPINION AND MEET his PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS if you want to stop experiencing his distress!