Jennifer Selby Long

A third one is creating an emotional sinkhole by making it personal or taking sides in political battles. So we get this little dynamic, right? Your ineffective boss leads to lower performance on the team, which leads to stress. which leads to making it personal and taking sides in what we might call a backside covering political battle.

A third one is creating an emotional sinkhole by making it personal or taking sides in political battles. So we get this little dynamic, right? Your ineffective boss leads to lower performance on the team, which leads to stress. which leads to making it personal and taking sides in what we might call a backside covering political battle.

So when you find yourself thinking about your boss in these kind of sweeping terms, and again, you feel your judge coming on, you recognize that you're only feeding the intensely negative energy that's there. And it does nothing to help you. It does nothing to help your teammates, the people around you.

So when you find yourself thinking about your boss in these kind of sweeping terms, and again, you feel your judge coming on, you recognize that you're only feeding the intensely negative energy that's there. And it does nothing to help you. It does nothing to help your teammates, the people around you.

So instead, there are really five things that I think you can try to view the situation from a different perspective and then handle it in a way that's going to work well for you, whether that's staying in it or making that leap toward another job or toward starting your own business. The first one, step back from that situation and first size up the degree that

So instead, there are really five things that I think you can try to view the situation from a different perspective and then handle it in a way that's going to work well for you, whether that's staying in it or making that leap toward another job or toward starting your own business. The first one, step back from that situation and first size up the degree that

to which his or her incompetence is truly affecting you sure it's disappointing when your boss routine routinely lets you down but maybe slowing down your professional growth for a few months because they're new to the role and they're not good at it yet

to which his or her incompetence is truly affecting you sure it's disappointing when your boss routine routinely lets you down but maybe slowing down your professional growth for a few months because they're new to the role and they're not good at it yet

That's one thing, but that's not in the same league as your entire bonus being on the line or even worse, your personal reputation being put in jeopardy with people you respect because the boss is ineffective. So size it up. It's a reflective exercise. It's subjective. It looks different for you from someone else. And even for you in different situations at different times in your life.

That's one thing, but that's not in the same league as your entire bonus being on the line or even worse, your personal reputation being put in jeopardy with people you respect because the boss is ineffective. So size it up. It's a reflective exercise. It's subjective. It looks different for you from someone else. And even for you in different situations at different times in your life.

But it helps you calibrate that situation a little bit. Quiet down those nasty saboteurs so that you're calibrating it to your unique needs, right? Is it short term and you just want to let it stop bothering you before you make a big change?

But it helps you calibrate that situation a little bit. Quiet down those nasty saboteurs so that you're calibrating it to your unique needs, right? Is it short term and you just want to let it stop bothering you before you make a big change?

or is this something that's really added up and you need to go and you just need to do that secondly assess if you're in a politically messy situation oh i hate this tip but if you do think you're in a politically messy situation you do have to begin some basic defensive action right employees have lost their jobs due to ineffective managers who failed to protect them Right?

or is this something that's really added up and you need to go and you just need to do that secondly assess if you're in a politically messy situation oh i hate this tip but if you do think you're in a politically messy situation you do have to begin some basic defensive action right employees have lost their jobs due to ineffective managers who failed to protect them Right?

So if you sense that level of risk and you feel it's important to keep your job, oh, it pains me, but you got to start documenting conversations, agreements. You got to document open items and follow up emails after conversations. Try to have more group conversations.

So if you sense that level of risk and you feel it's important to keep your job, oh, it pains me, but you got to start documenting conversations, agreements. You got to document open items and follow up emails after conversations. Try to have more group conversations.

Oh, God, I just want to gag when I say this, but look, if you objectively size it up as politically messy, start doing those basic defensive actions. And no matter what, you must maintain your composure in a politically messy situation, no matter how absurd it becomes. The most absurd one to date is one that happened to a client about 24 years ago.

Oh, God, I just want to gag when I say this, but look, if you objectively size it up as politically messy, start doing those basic defensive actions. And no matter what, you must maintain your composure in a politically messy situation, no matter how absurd it becomes. The most absurd one to date is one that happened to a client about 24 years ago.

he found himself receiving the wrong performance review from his general manager, who mixed him up with another direct report and launched into the review she'd prepared for the other man. Now, I will admit, these two gentlemen were both Scandinavian. They looked a lot alike, but come on, they weren't twins. So he just maintained his composure,

he found himself receiving the wrong performance review from his general manager, who mixed him up with another direct report and launched into the review she'd prepared for the other man. Now, I will admit, these two gentlemen were both Scandinavian. They looked a lot alike, but come on, they weren't twins. So he just maintained his composure,