Some bosses send ambiguous, deliberately unclear, mixed messages. It can be frustrating to deal with a misleading boss because you feel that you are on a perpetual roller-coaster. The boss tells you she likes your work; the next time you do it that way, she tears into you. She says she is not blaming you for some error that occurred, but it is your report that she is going over word by word, and she is scowling as she expresses this “reassurance.” Should you believe her words or her body language?

Another cause for confusion is when the boss is praising your excellent performance and then asks, “Why can’t you........

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