Top 8 Dumb Complaints about Managers

I'm no fan of bad management, but some people waste WAY too much time and energy complaining about their bosses. Here are the top eight dumbest complaints that I've heard over the years.

• Complaint #1: "My boss doesn't want to get into the nitty gritty details of my work."
• Why It's Dumb: Why should she have the time to worry about your job at more than a top-line level? It's your job to worry about the details, not hers.

• Complaint #2: "My boss delegates too much work to his staff."
• Why It's Dumb: It's his call, not yours, whether his staff can do a task better or more efficiently than he can. Where do you come off deciding what he should be doing or not doing?

• Complaint #3: "My boss relies on her staff for fresh ideas."
• Why It's Dumb: Of course she does; that's what staffers are for. Would you rather have a boss who thinks she knows everything and won't listen to anybody else?

• Complaint #4: "My boss makes lots of trite 'motherhood' statements."
• Why It's Dumb: Are you such a paragon of originality that your delicate shell-like ears are offended when somebody trots out a bromide? What's the big deal?

• Complaint #5: "My boss uses too much jargon and biz-blab."
• Why It's Dumb: So what? Most people in business talk that way. It's just mental noise, like a verbal tic. At worst it's annoying; at best, amusing.

• Complaint #6: My boss steals ideas and claims them for his own.
• Why It's Dumb: Hey, he assembled a staff with good ideas, so that makes those ideas his to use. If you're smart, you'll WANT the boss to "own" your ideas.

• Complaint #7: My boss demands work assignments but doesn't review them.
• Why It's Dumb: Maybe she trusts you to get the details right. Or were you maybe expecting her to be your fact-checker?

• Complaint #8: My boss is overpaid, in my opinion.
• Why It's Dumb: Who put you on the executive compensation committee? While it's true that some bosses make obscene salaries, your boss's salary is none of your business.

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