Twice in the last week I’ve heard about “idiot bosses.” Being the inquisitive guy I am, I probed for the root cause of such comments. Rather than simply asking what the cause is, I decided to address the symptoms first.

Q: “Tell me more about this idiot boss.”

A: “I’m so fed up with him. He’s always on top of everything I do. He nags at me. Sometimes he even goes behind my back on things that I’m responsible for. It seems like everything I do is constantly under a microscope.”

Q: “Like how?” (I know—I sounded like a Valley Girl on that one.)

A: “The other night I was getting ready to leave, and he actually called my cell as I walked out of the building because he wanted to discuss something that happened earlier that morning. He sometimes goes to members of my team, asks them what they’re doing, and then reprioritizes their work or even gives them new projects I’m not aware of. On top of that, he doesn’t even tell me he’s done this, and I find out after the fact that my team’s priorities have changed.”

Q: “Wow. That’s pretty bad. Lemme tell you what I think you can do here.”

A: “OK. Shoot.”

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