Title-Bearing Ass

Have you ever or do you currently work for someone that clearly does not belong in a leadership position?  Perhaps they think they are God’s gift to the company, but in reality they don’t have a clue what they’re doing.  They blame others for every mishap, fire people on a whim, and leave every employee mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted with their constant nagging. They might actually be a good person at heart, but when placed in the wrong industry, they can’t handle the pressure and it manifests itself in a demanding demeanor, unrealistic expectations and bullying the personnel.  Know anyone like that?   Well, in this struggling economy where jobs are hard to come by and harder still to keep, Yahoo has come up with five ways to survive a terrible boss.

You can read the report HERE.

Through the years I’ve been blessed to have worked for some wonderful people, and I’ve also had my share of terrible bosses.  One boss in particular enjoyed pushing my buttons and after a year of tolerating her demeaning remarks, she had finally pushed too far and I had had enough.  After she made a snide remark at my expense, I picked up a four inch three-ring binder and chucked it across the office at her.  As it crashed by her feet and she looked up in awe, I said some choice words, told her exactly what I thought of her and then summed it all up with “I quit.”  That was a good day.   Another boss pissed me off and I picked up a white, resin chair and threw it across the room, again announcing “I quit.”  But the cream de la cream was the time that I worked for a boss who spread lies about me, hit on me and made things very uncomfortable for me.  One day, I had had enough, so right before lunch time I calmly began packing up my desk.  When he asked what I was doing, I said, “Quitting.”  He said, “Well, you’re going to give me two weeks’ notice.”  I said, “No.  I’m giving you two minutes.”  It was a liberating feeling carrying my stuff to my car and never looking back.  That was a great day.

 

I’m not recommending anyone do what I did.  These jobs were back in the early nineties, when the economy was in a much better state and jobs were easy to come by.  That being said, there comes a point when you have to stand up for yourself, for your rights and for personal respect.  There is no justifiable reason for a boss to be a consistent asshole to any employee.  It isn’t right and it shouldn’t be acceptable.

If you’re dreading going to work every day because that one person in a leadership position is beating you up mentally, physically and emotionally, maybe it’s time to start looking for something else.  Try Yahoo’s five ways to survive a terrible boss and if that doesn’t work, take matters into your own hands.  Update your resume.  Start networking.  Let the people you know and trust help you find something better.  No one deserves to walk into the office every day and be beaten down.  A successful business is run by people, not statistics, not numbers, not graphs or charts.  If someone with a high-fluting title sucks the life and the heart out of the company, the business as a whole will eventually die off.  

A job title doesn’t give anyone the right to be mean… and just because they bear the title doesn’t mean they are right.  In fact, a terrible boss is nothing more than a title-bearing ass. ~