What To Do About Bad Leaders

Garth Beyer

I’ve had to work with my fair share of bad leaders. Like most, I started out by complaining about it. I was too nervous to speak up. In fact, I had no clue who to speak up to. It’s sort of stupid to go up to a leader and say they’re doing a bad job. Ignorant, actually.

There is a way to work with bad leaders, though. (Because in this world, some bad leaders, stay leaders. It’s up to you to make the most of it.)

The best way I have found is to ask them if they’ve done the things you would do if you were in the their position.

  • “Hey, I was wondering if you’ve scheduled that appointment yet.”
  • “Just curious, did you call the VC about product X and tell them we’re ready to ship on the third Friday of this month?”

These are positive examples. What you’re doing is making the task more salient to the bad leader. I’ll tell you why this is a good thing after I mention a few don’ts.

What not to do:

  • Specifically point out what they are doing wrong
  • Say they are doing a bad job and that you expect them to get their head in the game
  • Tell them you could do it better
  • And, as much as I hate to write this one: Don’t ask them if they want help

Most bad leaders don’t want help, most bad leaders hog their positions, most bad leaders just don’t care enough to take you up on your offer. They will, however, be happy to dish something out to you if you handle it right, say, maybe, by asking them if they’ve done something that you think they should have already.

When a bad leader faces more and more tasks they simply can’t put off, they’re more likely to either delegate those tasks (especially to the person who “reminded” them of the tasks in the first place) or they’ll be more prone to step off their throne and give up.

Poor leadership is something we all have to prepare for and know how to deal with it.

You may be an expert in leadership, but, trust me, a lot of people aren’t. And sadly, don’t care to be.

 

Stay Positive & It’s Not Your Job To Help Them

(It’s your job to help the company, the business’s clients, your team and your self)

Garth Beyer
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