Dealing with a clueless boss
Clueless Bosses are the ones who just seem oblivious to everything around them. The challenges and issues within the workplace that are so obvious to everyone else just don’t even appear on their radar screens.If they have a business plan or strategy, they keep it well concealed in their apparent haphazard approach to managing and getting things done.
How they ever got to be boss is cause for endless speculation. But what do you do? It’s difficult to stay motivated when you’re reporting to someone who you don’t completely respect. If you find yourself with a Clueless Boss, here are three things you should do, and one trap to avoid:
Document everything – You never know when one of your boss’s poor decisions might negatively impact you. Make sure that you’ve protected yourself.Try to help – Rather than just sitting back thinking about how stupid your boss is, try and help him (her). Some of the most amazing employee-employer relationships I’ve seen came as the result of an employee taking positive action.
Put yourself in his shoes – What kind of stress is he under? Is he getting clear direction from his boss? Sometimes we underestimate the challenges our bosses are facing.
The trap – Whatever you do, resist the temptation to speak negatively about your boss to other people in the office. Expressing your frustration or making sarcastic comments to a coworker might make you feel better in the short term, but it will inevitably work against you. You will be perceived as a whiner, and worse – as unprofessional. And, should your boss find out, you could quickly find yourself unemployed.
