What to Do When You Work for a Bad Leader
The purpose of this blog is to create better leaders in enterprise technology. The assertion that we need better leaders presupposes that there are plenty of bad leaders out there. What do you do if you work for one?
Good vs. Bad
I probably watched too much He-Man as a kid, because my initial gut reaction is to judge leaders in a binary way: good or bad. You are one or the other. Of course, I think of myself as one of the good guys, so any bad leader out there is automatically my arch nemesis. What do you do in this situation? That’s easy: You invoke the power of Greyskull and give Skeletor what he has coming.
While this approach certainly satisfies the typical story arc, it’s not very helpful. So, feel free to disregard that advice. The truth is that most well-intentioned leaders sometimes exhibit bad leadership behaviors. Ultimately, we are what we do, but in this case, I think it’s helpful to segment the moral identity of the leader from their actual behaviors.
Here’s why:
- I believe leadership is a skill. Leaders are made, not born. The skills take time and intention to develop. Mistakes along the way are part of that journey. You very well may be the recipient of those mistakes.
- A good leader may have been exposed to bad leadership cultures as a part of his or her career. Those experiences are formative and it’s likely that he or she picked up some bad habits.
- Everyone has gaps. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Are the bad leadership traits just a weakness? Are there strengths that balance the equation?
In summary, I think it’s helpful to give your bad leader the benefit of the doubt. At a minimum, assume positive intent.
To complete the thought, there is such thing as a truly toxic leader, but I believe those cases are rare. If your leader has ethical lapses, a disregard for core values, or is overwhelmingly destructive to the work environment, then go ahead and summon the power of Greyskull (and your HR department).
Assuming your leader needs improvement, but is not evil, let’s proceed.
Manage up
The best possible response to this situation is to manage up. Assuming you aspire to be a great leader yourself, you need to muster the confidence to be a courageous follower to your leader. I realize this is hard. Perhaps the bad leadership behavior has reduced trust and approachability. If you are up for the challenge, please read this article I wrote about followership.
Fill the gap
No leader is the complete package. The best leadership teams are made up of diverse talent. If your leader is struggling to be effective in an area of weakness, can you be the one to stand in the gap? I’ve personally seen this work. I worked for a great leader, that turned bad in some specific circumstances. Early on, those shortcomings just bothered me and the team suffered as a result. I resolved to fill those gaps myself, and as a team we were a leadership powerhouse.
Are you being mentored?
I need to see my leader as my mentor. Not everyone feels this way, but this is an absolute non-negotiable for me. If I don’t want to be like my leader, that’s a showstopper for me. I look to my leader to be that gravitational pull upward for my own development process. If we are going in two different directions, that doesn’t work.
Find a new leader
If you think like me, and your current leader isn’t providing meaningful mentorship, then it might be time to change your situation. If you love your company but not your current leader, then don’t leave the company. Just find another job with a leader you highly respect. As a last resort, you can always leave the company. That’s fraught with risk, as the grass is not always greener on the other side. But for the sake of your career development and mental health, don’t stay in a negative situation for very long.
That’s my advice for navigating this delicate situation. Just remember that everyone is on their own leadership journey. I’ve certainly benefited from the others’ patience toward me as I’ve developed. In your patience, don’t allow yourself to become a victim. You are in charge of your own career.
One thought on “What to Do When You Work for a Bad Leader”
Good advice Zach, I have worked with both good and bad leaders. Two things I always ask myself about my peers and leaders when determining if they are good or bad.
Question one: Does this person have good morals and intentions? This might take some time to figure out. However, imagine this person sees somebody on the street accidentally drop a $10 bill. Would they return it? or keep it? Then ask yourself the same question! This actually happened to me once and I am glad to report I returned it to a grateful owner. If they kept the $10, find a new boss.
Question two: Are they knowledgeable and competent with regards to their role? Sometimes leaders find themselves in a position way over their head and beyond their technical understanding. It is nearly impossible lead and gain trust over your staff without competency. They don’t have to be perfect and know everything but if they lack basic understanding and are unwilling to learn and grow they will be ineffective leaders.
In summary, trust is a key component to good leaders, if you feel your leader has good morals and is competent then you have the makings of a good leader. If they lack either one of these, it’s time for “Plan B”