When the Boss is an IDIOT!

How To Manage Up
When an idiot calls you an idiot, they are actually giving you a compliment. –Todd Pike, son of Charlie Pike star of Pike’s Peek of Hollywood TV writer.

We’ve probably all experienced that crazy boss who had us hating our job, but should our anger have been directed at the job or the boss? Maybe we actually loved the job, despite the boss who made us miserable. Should we stay with a job under such circumstances? Let’s consider one interesting fact: How crazy or idiotic can the boss be if he or she was sane and smart enough to hire talent like us? That said, it probably means that the work relationship not only can be saved but also that it is worth saving. It will, however, take some effort to manage the boss out of negative territory to become tolerable, if not actually ideal.

How Do We Know That the Boss Is an Idiot?

Obviously, by using this term, we are not applying an obsolete definition that refers to someone with a mental age of less than 3 years or an intelligence quotient of less than 25. Instead, the current informal definition, which refers to someone who is utterly foolish or senseless, is closer to the meaning we have in mind. However, neither foolishness nor senselessness entirely captures the qualities of the boss whom we have sometimes labelled “an idiot.” In fact some people have characterized such supervisors as being insensitive to people around them, in addition to being clueless about how to do their jobs and incapable of solving problems brought to them by subordinates. So what we often mean is not that idiot bosses are unintelligent. The principal aspect of the label may be based on our perception that the boss under-values us and cannot be trusted to act in a way that will enhance our careers. This boss is motivated more by his or her own career enhancement, even if it means taking credit for our accomplishments, and demeaning us for our mistakes. Sadly, the latter often takes place in public and probably has nothing to do with intelligence.

What Are the Goals of Managing Our Boss?

By managing our boss, we are trying to shape behavior that will lead to on the job success for him/her and, consequently, for us. At CompuQuick Systems, we have developed a model based on 4 key factors that lead to this success. We have coined the acronym “GUDEJob” (pronounced good job), based on the 4 ingredients of success: gratitude, understanding, determination, and enthusiasm. In the case of the manager, we are trying to foster gratitude for the staff, understanding of the big picture, determination to improve the workplace, and being an enthusiastic cheer leader for the staff.

The goal of managing your boss is so that you yourself will succeed. In a study of 250 influential executives, 94% stated that they believed that they effectively managed their boss at some point in their career, which ultimately led to their own success. If you would take the time to learn how to effectively manage your own boss there is a high probability that you will experience your own level of success as well.

Which Strategies Will Help Us Reach Those Goals?

Based on the number of “to do” lists available to handle an idiot boss, there must be a lot of unhappy employees—and unhappy CEOs if toxicity in the workplace seems to be affecting company earnings. Steve Tobak, writing for cbsnews.com, provides 5 such hints. He starts his list by suggesting that we ask ourselves to be sure that the problem is not us. After assuring ourselves that it is not, he advises us to remember that the boss is human and to cut him or her some slack. If the first two steps don’t bear fruit, he advises us to say something to someone, (presumably someone in authority to do something about the problem), to pursue stress relief in the bar or the gym, and, if all else fails, leave this job behind.

Susan Ricker, writing for jobs.aol.com, provides additional ways to deal with an incompetent boss. Among them, she notes the importance of being an asset rather than another problem for the boss to deal with. This is a way to make ourselves indispensable to him or her, even as we tactfully point out ways in which we think the workplace dynamics should change. Being a positive force is key. As described, managing up is as much an art as a science. Being humble and phrasing our observations as suggestions, rather than complaints, can help preserve the respect that needs to be afforded to an authority figure. Chances are, the boss will be more receptive to such a respectful delivery than one laced with negativity. If, during the persuasion process, we succeed in convincing the boss that we are an integral part of the organization’s success, “I’m leaving” are words the manager will never want to hear us say.

Incomplete Honesty Is Important When Managing the Boss

It’s probably not a good idea to tell the boss that he or she is—or ever was—an idiot. Some things are better left unsaid. But if we can find something—anything—to compliment, and couple the honest praise with suggested changes, we may come closer to loving the job and the boss.