10/04/2006
Here’s to the Bad Boss?
In this article I saw in the Times Online, the author suggests that bad bosses are good for us. They’re good because those of us who are mediocre (I’m not mediocre!) get the opportunity to really shine.
You see, this is where I have the problem. I mean, in theory, this is a good idea. But in reality; how often does this actually happen? Let’s look at it this way: if it’s true that 80% of the people leave their jobs because of bad bosses, then my guess is that they’re not getting any opportunity to do anything without the boss screwing it up for them.
Take myself as an example. It seemed like the more I succeeded, and the more I did to succeed, the more the bad things would happen. On top of that, when I tried to call out for help (and yes, I had documentation), Inhuman Resources sided with my bad manager.
**There is almost nothing you can do when those that are supposed to help you side with the enemy!**
Not only that, but I attempted to go over her head, which backfired. The fact that I had dozens of commendations and references did absolutely nothing. Everybody knew how good I was at my job – and it didn’t matter that she wasn’t as good.
So, is it possible to outshine these people? Absolutely. Just showing up with a pulse most of the time puts you at an advantage. But if no one around is going to notice (or if there’s nothing they can do about it), it just won’t matter. Then hopefully, you’ll be snagged by another company to shine there. And your bad boss will probably get another promotion... because they almost always do.
You see, this is where I have the problem. I mean, in theory, this is a good idea. But in reality; how often does this actually happen? Let’s look at it this way: if it’s true that 80% of the people leave their jobs because of bad bosses, then my guess is that they’re not getting any opportunity to do anything without the boss screwing it up for them.
Take myself as an example. It seemed like the more I succeeded, and the more I did to succeed, the more the bad things would happen. On top of that, when I tried to call out for help (and yes, I had documentation), Inhuman Resources sided with my bad manager.
**There is almost nothing you can do when those that are supposed to help you side with the enemy!**
Not only that, but I attempted to go over her head, which backfired. The fact that I had dozens of commendations and references did absolutely nothing. Everybody knew how good I was at my job – and it didn’t matter that she wasn’t as good.
So, is it possible to outshine these people? Absolutely. Just showing up with a pulse most of the time puts you at an advantage. But if no one around is going to notice (or if there’s nothing they can do about it), it just won’t matter. Then hopefully, you’ll be snagged by another company to shine there. And your bad boss will probably get another promotion... because they almost always do.
