Here’s some constructive advice pulled from an interview with a senior manager at a global company about working with a tough boss:

I’ve heard your manager is tough. What advice would you give to others about working with a tough boss?

#1 Ethics first. “It matters if somebody is doing something from the right heart and the right place versus the wrong heart and wrong place. There has to be no issue about ethics or that this is the right thing for the company. If you know your manager’s heart and head is in the right place, then that puts the manager’s actions and decisions in the context that they’re working toward the greater good of the company – and so are you by following their lead.”

#2 Don’t concentrate on style. “There are different techniques of management. Some are kinder and some are harsher. Some are friendly and some are not.

“If I tell my boss I’m doing a great job, he’ll say, ‘Great, put it on a jump drive and go find another job.’

“My boss looks at it like this, ‘I’m not going to let up because you can be better. He thinks if people are not being prodded and pushed all of the time, then we’re not having breakthroughs.”

#3 Find the positive. “If you look past style, my boss is an agent for change and only accepts the best. I focus on that.”

#4 Understand what’s important to your boss. “After all, they’re the boss. You have to understand where they’re coming from and do those things that go to style that they’re looking for. But you should surround those ‘style’ things with a larger collection of positive things you’re doing for the company. So that when you look at the big picture, you see a large collection of priorities that appeal to you and make a difference where you work.”

#5 Protect your team. “It’s also tough for employees when they’re one or two levels below a tough boss. Usually the story is worse that the truth.

“I tell employees to ignore gossip. Form your own plan and move forward. Don’t waste your energy of being catty. I tell them, ‘Look, everyone needs to let steam off, but if there’s something impacting you and your performance and your job specifically, let me know. I’ll figure out a way to handle it.’ If you’re just repeating things, let it go.”