Let's say, hypothetically, that your latest project has just crashed in flames because your boss forgot to sign off on the extension for the 15 contractors who were staffing it, and they got reassigned. You can get them back in three weeks, but you'll never meet the deadline now. You've just about had it, and you've decided that your boss is totally incompetent.

Seafood stew. Photo courtesy U.S. National Diabetes Education Program of the US National Institues of Health.
Maybe. Maybe not.
All you really know is that your boss's performance has been pretty dismal. Incompetence is just one possible explanation. For instance, your boss might be distracted by problems at home — a sick parent or child, a death, a troubled marriage, substance abuse, or identity theft, to name just a few possibilities.
As subordinates, we rarely have enough data to support any diagnosis of the causes of our bosses' poor performance. Without such data, attributing the cause of the problem to someone's character or lack of talent could be an example of a common mistake called the Fundamental Attribution Error.
A more constructive approach focuses on dealing with the consequences of your boss's performance. Here are some insights and steps you can take that might make your life better despite the situation.
- Worry is not a strategy
- Some very popular but ineffective tactics include stewing about the situation, griping with co-workers, or carrying the problem home to those you love.
- While these choices provide emotional support, they aren't likely to solve the problem. Search for something that can lead to a positive outcome.
- Recognize that your organization tolerates substandard performance
- Probably you've encountered substandard performance elsewhere in the organization, but it didn't bother you because you were less directly affected.
- Since you'll probably bump into substandard performance again, transferring to some other part of the organization is a questionable strategy.
- Fish or cut bait
- As subordinates, we rarely
have enough data to support
any diagnosis of the causes of
our bosses' poor performance - If you're considering a move, make a decision. Move or don't move, but make a decision.
- Sometimes decisions are difficult. Figure out how much time you need. Delaying beyond that is probably a symptom of avoidance rather than evidence of difficulty.
- Embrace your choice
- If you decide to leave, make leaving a priority. Conduct a disciplined job search, the way you would if you lost your job.
- If you decide to stay, commit to staying. Formulate strategies and tactics for safeguarding your career and maintaining your happiness despite your boss's performance.
- Plan for Reality
- When you estimate effort and duration for task assignments, allow for your boss's performance. Scale back expectations of the capability you can deliver.
- You can avoid frustration by anticipating trouble. To some this will feel like giving up, but it's just accepting Reality. Manage the risk.
Your boss's poor performance is your boss's problem. What it does to you is your problem. You'll probably do better if you work your own problem. Top
Next Issue
Is every other day a tense, anxious, angry misery as you watch people around you, who couldn't even think their way through a game of Jacks, win at workplace politics and steal the credit and glory for just about everyone's best work including yours? Read 303 Secrets of Workplace Politics, filled with tips and techniques for succeeding in workplace politics. More info
For more on distinguishing which issues are yours and which issues belong to others, see "Stay in Your Own Hula Hoop," Point Lookout for June 27, 2001.
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Related articles
More articles on Workplace Politics:
When It's Just Not Your Job
- Has your job become frustrating because the organization has lost its way? Is circumventing the craziness
making you crazy too? How can you recover your perspective despite the situation?
Impasses in Group Decision Making: I
- Groups sometimes find that although they cannot agree on the issue at hand in its entirety, they can
agree on some parts of it. Yet, they remain stuck, unable to reach a narrow agreement before moving
on to the more thorny areas. Why does this happen?
Workplace Antipatterns
- We find patterns of counter-effective behavior — antipatterns — in every part of life, including
the workplace. Why? What are their features?
Narcissistic Behavior at Work: I
- Briefly, when people exhibit narcissistic behavior they're engaging in activity that systematically
places their own interests and welfare ahead of the interests and welfare of anyone or anything else.
It's behavior that threatens the welfare of the organization and everyone employed there.
On Ineffectual Leaders
- When the leader of an important business unit is ineffectual, we need to make a change to protect the
organization. Because termination can seem daunting, people often turn to one or more of a variety of
other options. Those options have risks.
See also Workplace Politics for more related articles.
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- High-touch jobs require that we work closely with colleagues, teammates, clients, or suppliers. Because choosing to leave such a job affects all these people, and the person departing, we would do well find a path that respects all involved. Here are some suggestions. Available here and by RSS on August 13.
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Beware any resource that speaks of "winning" at workplace politics or "defeating" it. You can benefit or not, but there is no score-keeping, and it isn't a game.
- Wikipedia has a nice article with a list of additional resources
- Some public libraries offer collections. Here's an example from Saskatoon.
- Check my own links collection
- LinkedIn's Office Politics discussion group