Good advice from Seth Godin on a Friday: Be careful who you work for.
The worst jobs I've had in my career are those where I worked for a bad boss. For most people, this occurs because you're not in alignment with this person. Face it, we just don't all mesh with everyone else.
Pay close attention in the interview process and assess how you feel about the people you meet. If you're getting a 'fear', or 'uneasiness' reading, you might want to pay attention to that, start reviewing the timeline of when those feelings came forward, and then start thinking about why.
And if you're in a situation where you have a bad boss, you should be looking for a new role now. Don't try to wait it out, you're more likely to get laid-off or fired. And nobody needs that emotional bomb going off in their psyche.
Be in charge of your career - do what's right for you!
This would all be fine, except that many people don't have the opportunity to be so picky about where they work. Godin, in this situation, seems to be talking about some ideal world where employees can be choosy. It's not one I'm acquainted with.
Posted by: Mike Crowl | October 27, 2008 at 12:54 PM
money rules man for 95% of people you can not be picky there are 200 others for the same job...
Posted by: Kertész | November 06, 2008 at 06:54 AM
I think these two comments accurately reflect what a lot of people feel when they are in the midst of a job search, so let's think about this a sec.
Here's a story to illuminate things: You're a boss, and have a team comprised of 3 supervisors, and each supervisor has between 5 - 10 people reporting to them. So, let's say you then have 25 people total reporting into you.
Are each of the supervisors equal in terms of their ability to lead? Are each of their reports equal in what they deliver to your org? No, of course not.
Stop thinking about the numbers, and start thinking about how you are uniquely qualified to answer the top 3 problems the hiring manager needs addressed. That's how you land a job in a competitive landscape. If you want more on this, check out the book SPIN selling.
Posted by: Dave | November 07, 2008 at 09:58 AM
My goodness Seth is right. I've worked for some real stinkers. Case in point, the company website was a disaster so I called the developer and asked her for information about it. She left a message for the owner. He returns from a night of drinking, listens to his voicemails and goes ballistic on me. "What the F--k are you thinking? This company has thrived for 23 years without you. I'm pissed." All I did was ask a simple and logical question.
By the way, that company is just about to fold.
Posted by: Jeff Ogden | January 06, 2009 at 01:14 PM
i just wantd to say jut stick with your job nowadays...:)
Posted by: Richie | January 06, 2009 at 01:15 PM
I too have a bad boss, but in this time i cant think of switch. This is what making my boss more aggressive for criticizing work and bad behavior.
Posted by: ras | February 25, 2009 at 07:30 AM