My team has been forced to put up with an incompetent manager for two years. I spoke to the regional head and was told they were “working on it.” That was six months ago. I don’t want to be seen as a whiner, but I am thinking of going to the CEO to get some action. Your opinion?
If you take your case to the CEO, you’ll get action all right! And that sound you’ll hear is the collective groan of everyone who has ever watched in wonder as some poor, naïve soul has tried to pull an end run. In fact, the fate of people who go to their boss’s boss to complain is so well-known that we would be reluctant to answer your question—if we didn’t get one just like it virtually every day. Sure, the details are different, but the final quandary is the same: I’m frustrated with my boss. Can I break rank?
For the record, the answer is usually no—unless you have a big safety net or another job in hand. End runs backfire 80% to 90% of the time. Few bosses reward people who sneak around the organizational chain of command.
Moreover, most companies are painfully aware of bad bosses and struggle to find a way to force them out. Shoving that point in their face won’t make you a hero; it will make you an annoyance.
If you dislike your boss so much that you are ready to burst, you really have only two foolproof choices: Wait it out or walk out. Most end runs only end you.
This question and answer originally appeared in Business Week magazine on February 05, 2007.
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