How to Survive a Bad Boss

I once had a boss who thought leadership was a maths problem.

If you exceeded expectations, he believed, the solution was simple: raise the expectations.

His idea of an appraisal was to run my achievements through a malfunctioning spreadsheet and see what number it spat out.

He wasn’t interested in my work, only whether his assessment aligned with his mental algorithm of what he thought HR ‘wanted to see’.

If that sounds familiar, you’re probably dealing with a boss who belongs to that special club of managers whose grasp of “leadership” is about as firm as a toddler’s hold on a melting ice cream.

The trick isn’t just managing up, it’s managing around and occasionally right through them.

Because let’s be honest: some bosses aren’t going to improve, so the best strategy is making sure their incompetence doesn’t become your problem.

Why Bother Managing at All?

There’s an old workplace truth called the ‘Peter Principle‘, which says that people get promoted until they reach their ‘level of incompetence.’

Meaning your boss might have been brilliant at their old job, whether it was coding, finance, or power-napping in meetings, but once they were handed a team to manage, they ran out of useful skills and just started quoting policies instead.

Sound familiar?

The result is a frustration-laced environment where good people consider leaving otherwise excellent companies just to escape the headache.

In fact, according to Gallup, 50% of employees leave their job because of their manager, not the company itself.

So if you’ve ever found yourself updating your CV because of a boss rather than the actual work, you’re far from alone.

But here’s the thing – If you know you do a bloody good job, you shouldn’t just roll over and accept bad management as an unavoidable nuisance, like delayed trains or people who take speakerphone calls in public.

You’ve worked hard to be excellent, and you deserve to be recognised for it.

That doesn’t mean waging war against your boss, but it does mean standing your ground, pushing back when needed, and making sure their incompetence doesn’t overshadow your contributions.

And that’s precisely why you need to develop tactics – not just to manage up, but to sidestep the roadblocks a bad boss can throw in your way.

If you can take the reins, subtly, mind, there’s a decent chance you’ll keep your career on track while suppressing the overwhelming desire to staple their appraisal feedback form to their forehead (surely I’m not the only one who’s had that daydream, right?)

The Greatest Hits of Bad Bosses

If you’ve ever wondered why so many bad bosses seem oddly confident in their own abilities, look no further than the ‘Dunning-Kruger Effect‘

This is the psychological phenomenon where people who are terrible at something are often the most convinced they’re brilliant at it.

The worst part?

They don’t know what they don’t know, which means they’re blissfully unaware of their own incompetence.

It explains why some managers micromanage their team into a frenzy while believing they’re ‘hands-on leaders’

And why others disappear for weeks on end and still think they’re ‘empowering you to work independently’ rather than just… not doing their job.

Over two decades of corporate life (much of it at a Japanese bank in London, where bureaucracy occasionally developed sentience), I’ve curated a miniature museum of less-than-stellar managers.

See if any of these exhibits spark recognition:

The Micromanager

Believes you need a permission slip to breathe. Emails at 11 p.m. to confirm you’re “on track” for that minor spreadsheet update.

The Ghost

Missing in action for weeks on end, then materialises at your desk with a flurry of half-baked criticisms—or better yet, once a year during your appraisal, acting like they’ve been around all along.

The Algorithmic Manager

Thinks management is just a series of rigid rules, inputs, and outputs.

They believe policies are sacred texts and that human nuance is an unfortunate bug in the system.

Ever tried to get a minor exception approved, only to be met with a blank stare and a reference to ‘procedures’?

Then you’ve met one of these.

The Chaos Machine

Thinks “agile” means upending every strategy you carefully laid out.

Schedules urgent 5 p.m. meetings because “something came up,” conveniently forgetting you have a life.

The Mood Swinger

Greets you warmly in the morning, then storms off at 2 p.m. as if you personally ended sunshine.

A walking barometer of confusion.

My Brush with The Algorithmic Manager

In my case, it all came to a head (yet again) during an annual appraisal.

HR introduced a new set of criteria, perfectly sensible stuff meant to assess performance more accurately.

My boss, however, interpreted this as some clandestine plot to lower everyone’s scores.

He spent most of our meeting trying to knock down my achievements like a budget game of Jenga.

His masterpiece of managerial logic?

“If you perform at a high level this year, that becomes your new minimum standard next year.”

By this logic, going above and beyond isn’t rewarded, it’s punished.

Like getting a gold medal in the 100m sprint, only to be told next year you’ll need to do it while juggling flaming torches and weighed down with concrete boots.

And if you don’t?

Well, you’ve clearly lost your edge!

What started as a measured debate gradually devolved into me responding with progressively shorter sentences, culminating in the kind of noncommittal grunts usually reserved for teenagers being asked about their day.

Rather than listen to me he told me to “Take it up with HR if you dont like it” on repeat, like a malfunctioning chatbot.

Eventually I realised I was more likely to get my houseplants to understand me than my boss!

So, I pulled out the key issues from the recording transcript (cheers, iPhone Voice Memos 👍), and escalated it to HR.

Will that fix anything?

Who knows… but at least it stops me from spending the rest of the day fantasising about launching my laptop at his head like an Olympic shot-putter.

Standing Your Ground: Integrity in the Face of Bad Management

Bad management thrives when good employees stay silent.

It’s a corporate version of learned helplessness – if you get ignored or shut down enough times, you eventually stop pushing back altogether.

But every time you stay silent, as my friend put it:

“It’s like a little razor cut to your integrity.”

These are small enough to ignore at first, but keep letting it happen and you’ll eventually bleed out your self-respect.

Let this go on long enough, and one day you’ll catch your reflection mid-meeting, nodding along to absolute drivel, wondering when exactly you became a human bobblehead.

Many companies love to preach about ‘acting with integrity‘.

But from a personal and practical perspective, that means having the backbone to stand up and call out stupidity when you see it, raise issues instead of sweeping them under the rug, and refuse to let mediocrity dictate your career path.

If you know you’re doing great work, don’t let a misguided boss knock you down just because it makes their spreadsheet look tidier.

Document your achievements, challenge unfair assessments, and make sure your value is recognised.

Standing up for yourself isn’t about being difficult — it’s about making sure that competence isn’t drowned out by corporate nonsense.

Tactical Tips: Navigating a Boss Who’s in the Way

Bad bosses are like poorly written software:

– Full of glitches

– Prone to crashing at the worst possible moment

– and somehow still in use despite everyone knowing there’s a better alternative.

Since we can’t always uninstall them, the next best thing is to develop workarounds that keep your job (and sanity) intact.

Here are some tried-and-tested tactics for handling a manager who seems more like an obstacle than a leader.

1. Preemptive Communication (Best for: The Micromanager, The Algorithmic Manager)

Like sending a weather report before the rain starts, offer concise updates on your tasks or projects before your boss demands them.

This robs the pedantic conversation of its drama and establishes you as the capable professional you are.

2. The Priority Deflection Method: Making Your Boss Own Their Decisions (Best for: The Ghost, The Chaos Machine)

When your boss tries to offload something clearly outside your remit, don’t just absorb it, make them own the decision.

I keep a prioritised list of my team’s projects, signed off by senior stakeholders.

So when my boss lobs a ‘quick’ task my way, I simply pull up the list and say:

‘I’d love to help you with that! These are our top priorities. which one should we put on hold? And do you want to inform the relevant manager, or shall I draft something for you?‘

This forces them to confront the reality that work isn’t an infinite resource.

If they push back?

Keep asking the same question.

Eventually, they’ll either drop the request or (less likely in my experience) justify disrupting agreed priorities.

Either way, problem dealt with!

3. Document or Record Everything (Best for: The Algorithmic Manager, The Chaos Machine)

No, it’s not particularly fun, but next time your boss denies saying something (or claims you’re misremembering HR’s policy), you’ll have handy proof.

Consider it your insurance policy against ‘I never said that’ syndrome.

And if you really want to make sure you’ve got an ironclad record?

Use your phone’s voice recording app.

Now, I’m fully aware this probably brushes up against privacy rules and corporate policies, so let’s be clear: I’m not saying you should do this.

But… if you happen to have an iPhone…

And you happen to hit ‘record’ before a potentially tricky conversation….

And it just so happens that iOS’s built-in transcription feature delivers you a perfectly searchable record of every word said…

Well, that’s just a happy little accident, isn’t it?

Personally, I’ve found this invaluable, because when you’re in the middle of an infuriating exchange, your brain tends to swap out exact quotes for a general feeling of rage.

Having a full transcript means you don’t have to rely on memory (which, let’s be honest, is often clouded by the sheer anger of the moment).

It also makes summarising discussions or quoting someone’s own words back at them, far easier.

Of course, if you do go down this route, discretion is key.

No need to wave your phone around like a courtroom stenographer.

But when the inevitable “I never said that” moment arrives, you’ll have the ultimate trump card.

Whether you choose to play it is up to you!

4. Polite Pushback (Best for: The Algorithmic Manager, The Mood Swinger)

A calm, factual approach often deflates an overconfident manager faster than a budget airline backtracking on its ‘no hidden fees’ promise.

“I believe the guidelines from HR actually say [X]. Could I show you the memo?” maintains your professionalism while casting doubt on their ironclad (but mistaken) assumptions.

5. Buddy Up (Tactically) (Best for: The Algorithmic Manager, The Micromanager)

If there’s an HR rep or colleague who’s equally exasperated, share notes.

Strength in numbers and all that.

A single complaint might be dismissed; multiple voices are harder to ignore.

6. Ignore Them and “Be So Good They Can’t Ignore You” (Best for: The Ghost)

If your boss is a Ghost, missing in action most of the year, lean into it.

Focus on doing your job well, keep meticulous records of your achievements, and operate as if they don’t exist until you absolutely have to engage.

By the time they do resurface, they’ll have no choice but to acknowledge your value.

Sidenote – to delve into this in more depth check out the amazing book “So Good They Can’t Ignore You” by Cal Newport.

7. The Illusion of Stability (Best for: The Chaos Machine)

Chaos Machines love nothing more than keeping everyone on their toes with last-minute changes and half-baked plans.

Your best bet?

Create order out of their disorder and act like it was always meant to be that way.

Lock down priorities, document decisions (preferably in a way they can’t wriggle out of), and when they inevitably contradict themselves, calmly refer back to their own words: “As you mentioned last Tuesday at 3:47 p.m….”

This doesn’t just save you from being dragged into their whirlwind; it subtly forces them to deal with their own mess instead of outsourcing the confusion to you.

8. Emotional Judo (Best for: The Mood Swinger)

The trick here is to not engage.

Instead of reacting to their moods, treat them like unpredictable weather, bring an umbrella (prepared responses) and don’t get caught in the storm.

When they’re up, be professionally pleasant but not overly enthusiastic.

When they’re down, keep it neutral and stick to facts.

The less their mood affects your approach, the more you stay in control.

9. Bureaucratic Counterattack (Best for: The Algorithmic Manager)

If they want to play by rigid rules, make them play by rigid rules.

When they insist on unnecessary ‘evidence’ or pointless formalities, drown them in precisely what they ask for.

Format it to the letter, include excessive footnotes, and follow their ‘system’ so literally that they realise how inefficient it is

If done well, this forces them to reconsider their approach, or at the very least, stop asking you for redundant paperwork.

Sidenote – ChatGPT is great for this!

Conclusion: Thrive, Despite Your Boss

Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic emperor, once said:

“You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.”

In other words, you might not be able to change your boss, but you can change how you deal with them.

And that’s the game.

At the end of the day, dealing with a bad boss isn’t about playing office politics or winning some imaginary power struggle.

It’s about ensuring their shortcomings don’t limit your success.

Whether that means standing up for yourself, strategically sidestepping their nonsense, or simply becoming so good they can’t ignore you, the aim is always the same:

Protect your sanity, maintain your integrity, and keep proving your value.

Because if you let bad management hold you back, the only person who really loses… is you.