....hey man, what about Napoleon Pete?

Once upon a time...I worked for a ‘family-owned’ company (problem was...I wasn't part of the family).

We have all had a boss who drove all his employees’ nuts. "Pete" would start wandering the hallways at 4:30 or calling-in to make sure no one left work before 5, he would give assignments but then micromanage them to death, he seemed to enjoy being in everyone's business...reading all the emails of every employee, and he rarely gave good performance reviews (that could be the reason only ‘family’ is left in the company) -- unless somehow it reflected back on him. Everyone referred to him as Napoleon Pete.

All-in-all, Pete drove everyone in the company crazy, and little-by-little every member of the company left (except Pete's family of course). Pete is a perfect example of the workplace axiom that job-seekers join great companies but leave because of bad bosses.

Maybe you have a boss who is sexist or racist…or perhaps a boss who takes all the credit for himself. Maybe your boss thinks you have no life outside work and makes you stay late…..or perhaps a boss who gives out too many tasks with impossible to meet deadlines (or constantly changing deadlines). Maybe your boss is a pathological liar…..or perhaps the boss plays favorites.

Bad bosses -- whether ogres, control freaks, jerks, micromanagers, or bumbling fools -- can be found in all organizations. Pop culture loves to make fun of bad bosses, from the pointy-haired boss in the Dilbert comic strip, to the completely insipid boss from "The Office," to the anal-compulsive and mean boss of the movie Office Space... but bad bosses are no laughing matter when you have to face him every working day. And, unfortunately, with the rightsizing of the last few years, there are probably more overworked and undertrained bosses than ever. It's also possible, though, that bad bossing is just part of the organization's corporate culture….trust me…I know first-hand.

One study found that almost 80 percent of the employees surveyed identified their boss as a lousy manager. And almost 70 percent in that study conducted by Delta Road stated that their immediate superior had "no clue" what to do to become a good manager. Author Harvey Hornstein, Ph.D., estimates that 90 percent of the U.S. work force has been subjected to abusive behavior at some time. He bases his conclusions on a survey of nearly 1,000 workers over eight years (unfortunately it took me nine years).

So, what can you do if you are working for a bad boss? Find the tools you need to manage the situation as best you can, but remember that sometimes the only solution is transferring to a different part of the company -- or switching employers…..

The worst thing you can do is simply to do nothing, hoping the problems will get resolved. No job, boss, or company is worth losing your health, sanity, or self-esteem. If you can't find a way to resolve these issues and/or your boss simply will never change his behavior, you should immediately start working your network and begin looking for a new job -- outside the organization.

Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives or friends, with no regard to merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos (meaning "nephew" or "grandchild").

Hey man...you are either blood....or not....