CHAPTER 4SURVIVING BAD BOSSES:It’s Not Them, It’s You
Good bosses are amazing role models who embody the behaviors they want to see in others. And there’s nothing like working for a great boss who champions and mentors you, invests in your success and development, and gives you ample opportunities to learn and grow. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. Good happens about a third to half of the time, and great is a rare bird indeed.
BAD BOSSES COME IN ALL STRIPES AND TYPES AND CAN UNDERCUT AND CRUSH AMBITION.
Far more common, unfortunately, is having a bad boss. Some bosses are only mildly bad, but be prepared to endure some really treacherous ones in the course of your career.
The way a truly bad boss behaves can just make you cringe. They’re hypercritical, unsupportive, sarcastic, negative, insecure, self-centered, unapproachable, unreliable, and outright duplicitous. Bad bosses come in all stripes and types and can undercut and crush ambition in ways both subtle and obvious.
As a CEO, I’m sometimes asked why companies can’t reign in the bad-boss phenomenon. Believe me, corporate America has come a long way toward trying to curtail hostile work environments—it’s the law, after all. But there is so much other behavior that is impossible to regulate and that HR departments struggle to stay on top of. There’s the boss who always praises you to your face, yet the ...
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