What to do when you think your boss is incompetent

Dear Evil HR Lady,

I have 20 years of IT experience. Been a boss, a consultant and of course worked for a number of managers.

I took this recent job because it’s a relaxed environment, an easy IT job. I am already an expert of the applications I manage. I report to a 60-year-old woman who is not techy at all. She does not know how to manage, nor understand how to prioritize work. She is always in reaction mode.

I want to talk to her boss about her being incompetent, and say that I can’t work for her because she is a hindrance. I want to tell her that I would rather quit than work for her. I have a meeting with her boss tomorrow.

To read the answer, click here: What to do when you think your boss is incompetent?

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5 thoughts on “What to do when you think your boss is incompetent

  1. Evil HR Lady, you are truly my idol. You just spoke volumes of truth in every paragraph! I am thinking of about 4 employees in our company right now; some new, some who have been here a while, who really need to read this. I plan to quote this piece regularly. ;-D

    1. Thanks! It’s really hard to judge the competence level of a boss in a few weeks. You aren’t even competent in the job yet!

  2. I like how you say “You (the newbie) isn’t even competent in the job yet”… Some newbies begin a job thinking they already know everything – and when they come to the interview and ‘know everything’ I will sometimes put it as a mark against them. I try to remind them that this position is new to them, and no, they will not know everything. Then I give the blurb about what the Supervisors like to see, how they are trained, etc. People who ‘know it all’ can be difficult to train to the company’s liking and standards. Safety and accuracy are big at our company, and the newbie running equipment, or processing a customer’s order, without REALLY knowing how we do it, can be costly in so many ways. So, ignore what you ‘know’, soak in all that you are being taught and how the company does things, and in time when you grasp it, you will be able to utilize your knowledge and prove what you ‘know’ and you will shine for it! Patience:)

  3. After I originally commented I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added-
    checkbox and from now on whenever a comment is added I receive
    four emails with the same comment. Perhaps there is a way you are able to
    remove me from that service? Thanks a lot!

  4. I personally blog too and I am publishing something alike to this particular
    article, “What to do when you think your boss is incompetent —
    Evil HR Lady”. Would you mind if perhaps I reallyemploy
    a little of your own tips? Thanks ,Arlette

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