Does your boss experience mood swings on a regular basis? Does he or she suddenly become irritable, negative, or isolated for no apparent reason? This isn’t uncommon, especially in a demanding, high-stress environment—but moody bosses can be extremely difficult to work with.

你的老板是不是经常情绪上有波动?他或她是不是在没有明显原因的情况下会突然变得烦躁、消极或孤立?这很常见，尤其是在苛刻、高压的环境中——但是和喜怒无常的老板很难在一起工作。

Here are 10 tips for managing a moody boss:

下面的这10个用来对付坏脾气老板的小贴士：

Watch for patterns.

观察模式

Since spiking your boss’s coffee with mood-altering pharmaceuticals is not an option, watch for patterns, such as timing and triggers; see the storm coming; and avoid over-reacting yourself.

既然不能在老板的咖啡里加入改变情绪的药品，那么你可以观察模式，例如老板发脾气的时间和引发因素;预料暴风雨的来临;避免自己过度反应。

If you’re having difficulty determining his or her pattern, open a line of communication between yourself and your boss’s administrative assistant (if they have one). The person closest to your boss will have the best reading of the current temperature—and the long-term forecast. Offer to help out your boss’s assistant whenever you can, to show sincere gratitude for the tip-offs you get.

如果你觉得判断他或她的模式很难，那你可以和老板的行政秘书(如果有的话)交流一下。和你老板最近的人能最清楚当前的气氛——并能进行长期的预测。无论何时，只要能帮上忙，就去帮帮老板的秘书，对你得到的小秘密表示诚挚的谢意。

Limit your interactions if their mood is rubbing off on you.

如果他们的心情和接触你有关，那就减少交流

Many factors associated with moodiness are out of your control and it is very difficult to avoid emotional contagion. So if you can, temporarily limit your exposure to their mood swings in hopes that this is just a short term issue.

与心情相关的很多因素都无法控制，很难避免情感上的传染。所以如果能的话，在他们情绪波动时暂时减少和他们的接触，希望这只是短期的问题。

Keep your cool.

保持冷静

If you can’t avoid the boss, whatever you do, don’t inadvertently mimic this management style to other staff members, Taylor says. When your boss’s mood pendulum swings to the negative, be a sea of calm. Remind yourself that he’ll come back to center eventually. Show a relaxed, in-control demeanor yourself. Lighten things through humor and distraction to ‘jam the system.’

如果你无法躲开老板，无论你做什么，都不要粗心大意地向其他工作人员模仿这种管理风格。当你老板产生负面情绪时，你要保持镇定。提醒自己他最终会回到正轨的。放松一些，控制自己的言行举止。开开玩笑或说些让人分神的东西来让事情变得轻松一些。

Make sure it's not you.

确保你没出错。

Don’t assume it’s just them. Make sure to also reflect on your own mood and performance. Are you upbeat yourself? Are you meeting expectations? Some bosses can be moody towards employees when they are not performing to their standards, even though the boss may not have communicated things clearly. So be proactive and figure things out on your own.

不要假设一切都是别人造成的。确保反省一下自己的心情和行为。你是不是很乐观?你是不是符合期望?有些老板当员工们没按他们的标准做时就不高兴， 虽然有时他们可能并没有清楚地说明标准。所以主动一点，自己把事情想清楚。

Don't take it personally.

不要往心里去。

If it is an occasional situation (and you’ve determined it’s not just you that they’re moody with), develop a way to bypass your boss’s bad mood. Take a walk, look at a favorite photograph, call a friend, and move on. If the moodiness is chronic, either set up time to discuss the situation directly with your boss–it may be that he or she is unaware of the impact of their behavior–or if that is not practical, talk to a trusted colleague or supervisor about what you can do to mitigate the damage to your psyche.

如果是偶然的情况(你确定老板不高兴不只是你的原因)， 找出一种方式避开老板的坏心情。散散步，看看最喜欢的照片，给朋友打电话，继续向前进。如果心情长期不好，要么找时间直接和老板讨论一下这种情况——很可能他或她不清楚他们行为的影响——或如果这样不切实际，找一个值得信任的同事或上司谈一谈，看看做些什么事情才能减轻对你心灵的伤害。

Document their behavior.

把他们的行为记录下来。

Moodiness can turn vengeful, should your boss’s situation go from bad to worse. So protect yourself by documenting their behavior, and your work product. One day you may be in a position where you’ll need to explain things to their boss, and without documentation, your words may fall flat.

如果你觉得老板的情况越来越差，这种情绪化可能变成仇恨。可以通过记录他们的行为和你的工作成果来保护自己。有一天你可能需要向他们的老板解释一些事情，如果没有记录，你的话会苍白无力。

Don't trigger mood swings.

不要引发情绪波动。

Once you figure out your boss’s mood triggers, don’t add fuel to the fire just to meet a deadline or get something done. If tight turnaround time or bad news given out with no solution sends your boss’s demeanor into a nose-dive, take note, be patient and more strategic.

一旦你弄清了什么能引起老板的情绪波动，那么就不要因为赶最后期限或没把事情做完这种事而去火上加油。如果周转时间很紧张或得到了坏消息却没有解决方案让你老板的风范跌入谷底，做做笔记，让自己有点儿耐心并更具有战略性。

Pick meeting times carefully.

小心选择会议时间。

Figure out the best time to chat or check in with your boss. Approaching your boss near the end of a sales quarter may not be wise, if they are often stressed during that period of time with trying to meet the sales goals. Ask or determine the right time to interact with them, so you avoid times when they might be moody.

弄清和你老板交流的最佳时间。如果你的老板在销售季接近尾声时因想达到销售目标而经常很有压力，那么那时和老板交流并不明智。询问并找出合适的时机和他们交流，避开他们心情不好的时候。

Don't confront the boss during a mood swing.

不要在老板情绪波动时和他见面。

This is no time for a street fight. If your Darth Vader boss has swung to the dark side, don’t go on the offense with ‘Why are you suddenly so angry?’ If you have a good relationship with your boss, and all hell seems to have broken loose, you can certainly inquire about what’s wrong. But if it’s the all too common subtle mood swings, getting in the boss’s face is likely ill-fated. Better to stay out of the way until the clouds blow over, so you’re not a target.

没时间搞游击战了。如果你的达斯维达老板心情很差，不要用‘为什么你突然变得这么生气’的话来惹怒他。如果你和老板关系不错，当事情脱离正轨时，你当然可以问问哪里出了问题。但是如果只是普通轻微的情绪波动，去烦老板很可能就会为你带来厄运了。最好等到烟消云散时，这样你就不会成为目标了。

If the problem persists, discuss it with your boss at the right time.

如果问题仍然存在，可以在恰当的时机和你的老板讨论一下。

If the mood swings become a problem and starts to affect your work—don’t just complain to your colleagues and the higher ups; talk to the boss.

如果情绪波动成为问题并开始影响到你的工作——不要仅仅对同事和高层抱怨;而要和老板谈谈。