So, you have a bad boss...

Bad bosses... come in many flavors... There's the "checked out" boss (can these really survive in this kind of job market?), the "rule changer" (who tells you to take a lunch break then seems surprised you're not at your desk), the "underminer" (who asks you for help and then makes it impossible for you to assist), the "chronic critic" (needs no explanation), and a slew of others.

Holy Raptorjeebus, we struck the motherfucking Mother Lode of bosses! The "queen," if you will. So, what to do?

"Working for You Isn't Working for Me," by Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster, provides a field guide to the many species of bad boss...For each bad behavior, the authors give sample scenarios to help you recognize your situation, and then walks you through a process to take back power and correct it.

[....]

Q: Is it possible to do good work and have a really good experience of work under a really bad boss?

KE – No, not really. If your boss is truly bad: micro-manages you, undermines your efforts, lies, changes direction all the time or only finds your flaws, your experience at work is not going to be good. It’s very difficult to feel successful without the support of your boss.

KC – You can, however, find ways to manage the relationship so that it doesn’t spoil your day and won’t block your career. Instead of focusing your attention on how miserable it is to work for this person, we encourage people to keep building their skills and expanding their networks outside of work. By creating options, you’ll feel less trapped.

Abandon ship, anyone?

Found via Lifehacker on Shine from Yahoo!.