Unfortunately, bad leadership is all too common in the corporate world. And when you can’t beat ’em, sometimes you have no choice but to join ’em. WOW leaders, or those aspiring to be WOWs, don’t want to align with DUDs, but there are times when the situation is forced upon them. When power structures change, promotions are given, or you’re hired into a company and placed in a bad leadership environment, you often don’t have the ability to simply walk away. There are times when you have to deal with a DUD, and even align with them in order to survive. The trick is in retaining your WOW abilities or potential without completely selling your soul to the devil.

Here are a few ways to survive when you’re caught in the trap of bad leadership:

• Keep Your Eyes Open: Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re working for anyone other than a DUD. By keeping your eyes open to the bad leadership you’re forced to align with, you won’t be tempted into following in the footsteps of those DUD qualities.
• Be Honest: Be honest with yourself about WHY you’re aligning with a DUD. When you know the leadership you’re following is contrary to your own WOW aspirations, stay true about the reasons you’re going along with it. Is it out of fear? For job security? Because you like your job, just not your boss?
• Set Limits: Even if you’re forced to go along with a DUD’s ways, you have to have boundaries. Determine what lines you simply won’t cross, and stick to those limits. There must be certain non-negotiables in place, such as not doing anything illegal or immoral, to protect yourself from going the way of the DUD.
• Set a Timer: Don’t stay too long in the shadow of a DUD. Being under the influence of bad leadership for an extended amount of time can cause a WOW to begin adopting DUD tendencies. Although it might be best to cut your losses and get out early, that’s not always possible. Put a time limit on how long you’ll stay in the situation before you need to start looking elsewhere.
• Form a Back-up Plan: Have an exit strategy or a Plan B on the back-burner in case the leadership goes from bad to worse. Think ahead and begin preparing for your departure, even if you’re not yet ready to go. DUD leaders are unpredictable at best, which is all you can really predict. Don’t be caught without a back-up plan in mind, or you might get permanently stuck in the bad leadership trap.

Aligning with a DUD is often necessary for survival in the workplace. When you’re caught in the trap of bad leadership, sometimes it’s useless to struggle and fight against it. However, when you’re forced to align with a DUD, that doesn’t mean you have to become one yourself. Keep an arm’s length from the negative, bad leadership behaviors, and make sure you stay on the path of the WOW.

–Sheri Staak