At one of my past jobs, long ago, I had a new boss every 6 months.

This went on for years. Re-org after re-org, and leaders coming and going. Selling myself to a new leader got real old, real fast. And things seemed to be getting worse.

The arc of my experience reporting to those new bosses:

* Okay boss

* Good boss

* Great boss

* Bad boss

* Horrific boss

It was clear the negative trend line was going to continue at that company, so I left. There are times you can manage the situation when your boss is less than stellar. But sometimes, you can’t salvage things, and you need to move on. I’ve written about bad bosses before and how to handle that situation:

This Episode

In this episode, I talk more about what to do when you have a terrible boss. The short answer is: it depends. The long answer, which I share in the audio ⬆️, is that it depends on various factors.

For example:

* How bad is bad?

* What is happening? What are they doing?

* What kind of bad boss are you dealing with?

* How much can you influence them to improve the situation?

* How long do you think this issue will last? Can you wait it out?

* Can you move to a new team within the company to report to someone else?

I share more factors and advice in the audio for this episode. So scroll up, hit play, and check it out. ⬆️

📞 NOTE: Although I no longer work with people on their job search, I do still offer one-off calls and retained advisory services (for career, self-employment, and life).

If you’re interested, you can always set up a free call to discuss things with me!

Larry Cornett, Ph.D., is a career coach who spent 20+ years in Silicon Valley at Apple, IBM, Yahoo, eBay, and several startups as a designer, leader, and product and design executive. Whether you're fighting for a promotion, navigating a layoff, or planning your exit to independence, he combines executive experience with psychological insight to help ambitious professionals reclaim their power and build an Invincible Career.

Would you like to help support my newsletter and podcast, but don’t want to commit to a monthly fee? Check out my ☕️ Buy Me a Coffee. I’m self-employed, and coaching and writing are how I provide for my family. Thanks for your help!

Let me take you on a little tour of Juneau, Alaska, while I share some career advice with you. I tried to stick to the quieter residential streets instead of heading into the chaos of the cruise ships and tourists downtown.

📞 You can always schedule a free call with me.

Key Takeaways:

*Summary generated from the video transcript by Lumo AI.

* The Market Reality: AI isn’t just taking jobs; it’s preventing them from being created, making junior roles scarce and competition fierce.

* Scale vs. Strategy: Use automation to cast a wide net, but never automate your relationships with your top 10 target employers.

* The Inside Champion Advantage: Having someone inside a company vouch for you can bypass interviews entirely, as seen in a recent example where a candidate started a new role in less than a week without a formal interview.

* Relationships Are Non-Negotiable: You cannot build an inside champion without actually talking to people. If no one is willing to vouch for you, it may indicate a need for introspection regarding your interpersonal skills and reputation.

* The Seniority Edge: While younger workers face less age bias, older professionals possess a massive advantage: a robust network of senior leaders who can pull you into companies and validate your character beyond what a resume shows.

* Mutual Protection: An inside champion protects you from toxic cultures just as much as they protect the company from a bad hire, giving you honest intel on what you’re walking into.

Larry Cornett, Ph.D., is a career coach who spent 20+ years in Silicon Valley at Apple, IBM, Yahoo, eBay, and several startups as a designer, leader, and product and design executive. Whether you're fighting for a promotion, navigating a layoff, or planning your exit to independence, he combines executive experience with psychological insight to help ambitious professionals reclaim their power and build an Invincible Career.

Would you like to help support my newsletter and podcast, but don’t want to commit to a monthly fee? Check out my ☕️ Buy Me a Coffee. I’m self-employed, and coaching and writing are how I provide for my family. Thanks for your help!