My life’s purpose is simple: to create extraordinary leaders, because when leadership goes wrong, people suffer unnecessarily.
I’ve been there. In multiple corporate roles, I was hired by inspiring leaders, only to have them replaced by toxic bosses. I know what it’s like to try to survive under bad leadership. You feel stuck—progress stalls. You make plans—only to watch them derailed by indecision or reversed without warning. It’s frustrating, demoralizing, and exhausting.
You try to work with your boss (they’re in charge, after all), but nothing changes. The dysfunction spreads. Engagement drops. Creativity dries up. People emotionally check out and wait, silently hoping someone above will step in.
As a leader, you know the truth: you can’t change other people. Not even your boss. That makes this one of the hardest problems you’ll ever face. It’s tricky because it feels like it’s not your problem, but it impacts everything you do.
So, what do you do when your boss is the biggest barrier to progress? Let’s treat this like any leadership challenge—and take it on. Here are four key moves:
- Notice When You Feel Despair—and Reset Your Mindset
Feeling frustrated, even hopeless, is normal when bad leadership blocks your progress. If you start feeling stuck or depressed, take it seriously. This isn’t just about staying positive but protecting your mental health. If the weight gets too heavy, talk to someone who can help you reset and get grounded again.
- Catch Yourself in the Bitching, Moaning, and Complaining (BMC) Cycle
Vent to your peers — sure. It’s healthy. But if the BMC becomes your default mode, the dysfunction has moved into you. You’re not just reacting to the problem but feeding it.
At one company, the CEO was so dysfunctional that employees made bingo cards filled with his typical behaviors and played bingo at meetings he was at: arriving late, repeating what someone else just said, avoiding decisions, falling asleep, etc. Funny? Yes. Productive? Not so much.
Best practice: Keep each other in check. Say, “Let’s switch gears—we’re on repeat here.” Focus on solving, not spiraling. BMC can be a release valve. Solutioning is coming up with new ideas for fighting dysfunction.
- Unite Around the Dysfunction—Don’t Let It Divide You
Bad bosses often isolate teams. Everyone goes into self-protection mode, and the dysfunction wins. Flip the script. Support your peers. Speak up for others, not just yourself. Together, your collective voice can be stronger than the chaos at the top.
You must look out for our peers and how they are getting squashed by the dysfunctional behavior. You can collectively support each other and make it known what should be done. Unfortunately, the bad boss may keep people from supporting each other because they have more power when everyone is trying to protect themselves. Stand up for each other and make your voice heard when it is not your project or topic.
You may find that as the team gets stronger, the dysfunction weakens. Stronger teams, leading collectively, create a pathway to improvement.
- Take a Risk—Have the Conversation
This is where real leadership shows up.
Even if your boss isn’t open to feedback, you owe it to yourself—and your team—to try. Be direct. Be kind. Be clear. Sometimes, people have blind spots. Sometimes, they’re willing to listen. Even if nothing changes, you’ve done your part.
If you haven’t had the conversation, ask yourself: why not? Usually, it’s fear. (Fear = False Expectations Appearing Real.) The best leaders do what others avoid—they step into the hard stuff for the sake of something better.
As a leader, if you don’t have a leadership conversation with your boss, you are not being a leader. Taking this risk and being lovingly direct with them about their dysfunction is essential to everyone involved, even if it doesn’t fix anything. Leaders will do the work that no one else wants to do. It may also be appropriate to have a group conversation about how the team behaves in the middle of the leadership dysfunction. Working on “us” is often more productive than expecting a bad boss to change.
Let’s build a world with fewer bad bosses—and more extraordinary leaders.
If you’re facing a tough leadership situation, I’d be honored to talk with you – contact me 513-260-7637.