Should I Quit My Job Because I Hate My Boss?

Taking a mindful approach to a tough question.

Photo by Magnet.me on Unsplash

One of the things I have enjoyed during my career is mentoring others. I maintain a “lifting as I climb mindset” — while I am moving up in the world, I better take a couple of folks with potential along as I ascend that rickety ladder of success.

As a mentor, I frequently find myself listening more than talking.

You would be surprised at how often motivated people will solve their problems just by having a sounding board. The answers they need naturally reveal themselves as they explain their current challenges.

There are times, of course, where advice is needed. I then give authentic feedback with empathy, reminding them of the tradeoffs between personal convictions, professional ambitions, and the motives of the system and the people who populate it.

But there is one question that always stops me in my tracks: Should I quit my job because I hate my boss?

I feel uncertain when advising in this scenario. That question has far more gravity than providing networking tips or pointers on impressing management.

Should I quit my job because I hate my boss?

That question is hard-hitting, urgent, and can represent a tipping point in my mentee’s career. In the end, I want to empower them to make a sound decision, one not rooted in emotions yet still acknowledges them.

Photo by Nicola Barts from Pexels

So, should you quit your job because you hate your boss?

If your reasons for hating them are legitimate, consider leaving. Often employees do not leave bad jobs — they leave bad bosses.

A crappy supervisor conjures fear and mistrust amongst team members. They make work challenging and manufacture additional stress. They take decent people and wreck them, wringing out all motivation and creativity in the process.

The world remains overpopulated with managers, but it lacks leaders.

Leaders prop others up to accomplish more. Managers pull people down to a lower level, so they only…