Even if the particular suggestions are not right for your personality or your situation, the important take away is that having a strategy will help. When you are in a bad situation at work, whether it’s caused by your boss or some other reason, not having a plan for dealing with it can leave you feeling helpless.
Worse, if you don’t have a strategy you might do or say whatever occurs to you in the heat of the moment. I’m sure we’ve all been in situations where we’ve said or done things we deeply regretted. Not good for the career, is it?
Here’s a few of the positive aspects of a bad boss.
1. A bad boss gives you a great opportunity for practicing your “dealing with difficult people” skills.
2. A bad boss is an opportunity to learn how NOT to be a good leader.
3. You’ve been meaning to update your resume. A bad boss can give you that added push you need to get it done.
4. It’s also a great time to reach out to others and expand your network. Make sure you are on LinkedIn. Reach out to those you already know, and look for members of the OpenLink group that you may want to know.
5. While you’re at it, might as well join a good networking site. MarketingProfs and ExecuNet are both good sites for marketers to take part in discussions and connect with others that you can add to your LinkedIn network.
6. Might as well look at joining a career site like TheLadders. Even if you are not convinced you want to leave, it’s a chance to get in front of recruiters and at least explore opportunities.
7. Bad bosses, and other situations you’ve overcome, give you lots of fodder for blogs, forums and other places where you can post your opinions. Just be sure not to name names. I would never encourage burning bridges!
Even if you think you can fix the problem at work, everyone who is serious about their career should have a low-level job search going on. You don’t have to leave your current job, but opportunity will never knock if it can’t find your door. And, if the company decides that your current boss is a more valuable asset than you are, at least you are ready to land on your feet. Get a better job and you really can have the last laugh!
When I look back on my career, I realize that it’s the bad situations that helped me progress the most. They have made me a much better leader. And, in a couple of cases, they’ve prompted me to find new opportunities. Without exception, these opportunities were better than the role I currently held.
So, here’s to bad bosses! May you all…(Sorry, but the rest of my toast to bad bosses violates my blog policies on abusive language.)
So what’s your story? I’d love to hear how you’ve dealt with the bad bosses in your career and come out all the better for it.
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