Why Are You Complaining?
A reader writes:
Help! My boss is a complete idiot! He doesn't bother to get into the details of my reports or work assignments. He just makes motherhood statements and when asked for details, he turns to his staff. He delegates everything, even assignments that should be done by him. He also relies on his staff for fresh ideas and makes it appear that they are his own. He demands submission of work assignments but does not review them comprehensively. In short, he is not worth what the company is paying him.By an odd coincidence, your question got into my queue right about when an important and interesting feature package was posted on BNET: "The Return of the Crummy Job." The article is intended to help managers better navigate their jobs amid reductions in staff, resources, perks, team spirit, and so forth. You need to read that article carefully because you don't know when you've got it good. According to your email:
- Your boss doesn't want to get into the nitty gritty details of your work. So? Why should he have the time to worry about your job at more than a top-line level? It's your job to worry about the details, not his.
- Your boss delegates work to his staff. So? It's his call, not yours, whether his staff can do a task better or more efficiently than he can. Where do you come off deciding what he should be doing or not doing?
- Your boss relies on his staff for fresh ideas. So? That's what staffers are for. Would you rather have a boss who thinks he knows everything and won't listen to anybody else?
- Your boss makes "motherhood" statements. So? Are you such a paragon of stark originality that your delicate shell-like ears are offended when somebody trots out a bromide? What's the big deal?
- Your boss makes it appear as if his staff's ideas are his own. So? He assembled a staff with good ideas, so that makes those ideas his to use. If the staffers are smart, they'll want the boss to "own" their ideas.
- Your boss demands work assignments but doesn't review them "comprehensively." So? Did it ever occur to you that he trusts you to get the details right? Or were you maybe expecting him to be your fact-checker?
- Your boss is overpaid, in your opinion. So? Who put you on the executive compensation committee? While it's true that some bosses make obscene salaries, your boss's salary is none of your business.
In fact, far from being an idiot, your manager seems pretty darn tolerant. After all, he's putting up with your negative, know-it-all attitude.
And I should know, because at one point in my life I had a boss just like yours. And I too complained about how he was a blowhard who wasn't fixing everything I didn't like about my job. Despite that, my boss kept me employed, focused me on productive work, and helped me grow my career. I didn't know how good I had it... until I later ended up working for a five-star jackass who treated underlings like garbage.
So my advice to you is: Get a clue. You've got a boss who listens, accepts input, likes fresh ideas, delegates work, and doesn't micromanage. Why are you complaining?