Today someone got to my blog by googling the words “How to tell a stupid boss he is stupid.” I admit the question took me by surprise. While I hope they were letting off some steam, I decided to talk about this a bit — just in case. After all, there are times when most of us have had this thought and wondered if there were some way to just tell them.
First four questions for you:
- Is your job something you actually want to keep?
- Did your boss specifically ask to be told they are stupid?
- Would a stupid boss or anybody really benefit by that information?
- Are you independently rich and so never need good references?
Jeez Louise, guy! No one would benefit by passing on this info. Even if you think you’re doing it for they’re own good — or for your own good.
And most importantly, you would be royally screwed in your current job, as well as in getting references for that next job you’ll soon be needing. And bad references can have long lives.
What if you have a stupid boss?
There are plenty of ways to deal with bosses who may not be rocket scientists. One of the most useful methods is “managing up” — the gist of which is: roll up your sleeves, accept that the person doesn’t know it all, and figure out ways to help them do a better job.
What? Am I asking you to help someone you consider to be a complete idiot? Well, yes. In the end, you get to keep your job and you all can benefit. And the short of it is, most organizations really know who is doing the work and who does or doesn’t have the real smarts.
But before you do any of this, first make sure that you really do have better answers than your boss. Always remember that a stupid boss doesn’t have the smarts to realize he is stupid. But this cuts both ways. So make sure you have the facts.
It’s easy to call someone stupid. But a smart person takes time to do some research, assess all the contributing factors, and then act accordingly. Probably also getting some additional input from others before launching a plan of action.
A few words of caution
Beware of others who just hang around in gripe groups talking about the “stupid boss” and all else they see as wrong with the boss and job. They may not be your best source. And they may even be passing on false information.
They also are just as likely to be saying similar stuff behind your back — even to your boss. I hope that doesn’t surprise you. Instead, find people whom you know and trust to be smart and get their take on things.
⇒ How Gossip at Work Can Hurt You
⇒ What’s the Difference Between Gossip and Conversation?
Put your own smarts into action
I know all this is not as much fun as the thought of telling your boss “Man you are sooo stupid!” (I’m sure it would feel good. I’ve been there.) But your best way to show much smarter you really is by learning to work around your boss’s “special” qualities.
And if you can also find ways to start to like your boss – or at least like something about them – you will be on your way to seeing things from a perspective that will, in the end, benefit you most.
⇒ Putting a New Perspective To Work
So I will leave you with this challenge: Find something that you honestly think your boss did well and make sure you tell him that! Whether or not he’s stupid, you’ll be showing that at least you are smart.
About the author…
Ronnie Ann, founder of Work To the Wise and Work Coach Cafe, bases her real-world advice on her many years working as an organizational consultant, her certificate from NYU in Career Planning & Development, and on her many adventures as a serial job seeker.
More posts to help
How To Deal With a Bully Boss
My Boss Has a Favorite and It’s NOT Me
Why Won’t My Boss Retire Already!
Why It’s So Easy To Get Mad at Your Boss
What To Do If Your Boss Takes You For Granted
My Boss Tries To Control Everything!
Boss Takes Credit for Everything I Do!
My Boss Doesn’t Respect Me No Matter What I Do
Boss Doesn’t Communicate with Staff
My Boss Never Says Thank You
Help! My Boss Doesn’t Understand Me
My Boss Keeps Secrets From His Staff!
⇒ BONUS: What To Do During & After Poor Performance Review
i think a better title for this post would be “How to be a Proud Doormat”
You made me smile, Jen. For me it’s about whether telling them to their face actually gains YOU anything. In most cases … no.
If you do want to stay (and you might not … a legit choice) then your best bet is to help correct any errors while not throwing your boss under the bus. And doing your best to get the most out of the job anyway. Making them look bad won’t gain you a thing in most cases and may backfire.
Then again, if you’re in a workplace where you think it’s ok to try … only you can assess that for sure. But first I’d still ask myself what do I gain — and why I’m so fixated on this. Also (maybe) what else might be wrong with the job or elsewhere to make this so important to me.
Also good to keep in mind you may need references one day. 🙂
NOTE: If they are a BULLY BOSS rather than just “stupid” then that’s a whole different story.
I remember a boss I had who always took credit for my work and the work of others. It drove me crazy. I tried talking to him about it as politely as possible (he was the boss after all), but he just said “we’re a team” and continued to take all the credit.
The only thing I could do was make sure I did the best job I could anyway and create good relationships with my co-workers. Eventually, people caught on as to who really was doing the work. He still was the same, but I didn’t spend as much time thinking about it. And I broke the habit of griping with others, since it only ups the bile. I just kept busy and found things to work on that I enjoyed – and spent more time with people talking about interesting stuff that made my day more pleasant. My boss was going to do what he does anyway and worrying about it only hurt ME.
By the way…if he is stealing credit for your work, than I think he does know how incompetent he is, so he isn’t all that stupid after all – just dishonest. Unfortunately, you can’t change that.
You gave the answer yourself: “but if I continue to get aggravated by him, my health may go bad due to the stress.” Since you can’t change him, the only person you can hope to change is you. Learning how not to be aggravated (at least as often) is the key. That may sound hard, but it can be done. And seems like he’ll give you lots of opportunity to practice.
Good luck!
I can accept my boss’ shortcoming, but what aggravates me is that he seems to have no idea how incompetent he is. He also tries to steal my work and seems to have no guilt for it — he actually thinks that is the way it should be. I don’t mind how incompetent he is as long as he is fair, but my boss is just arrogant and hopeless.
I am not going to say he is stupid because it would make my life much harder and does not accomplish anything, but if I continue to get aggravated by him, my health my go bad due to the stress.