Who's the Boss?

#107: Know the Know-it-all


Excerpts from one of my favorite books about career:

One of the types of bosses is the KNOW-IT-ALL.
He doesn't believe you have ideas.

These bosses never listen. In some ways, they are worse than the bosses who steal your ideas. The Know-it-all is generally not smart enough to steal your ideas, because he doesn't believe it is possible to have a better idea than his.

The Know-it-all cannot admit to being wrong and that makes this type of boss dangerous. Know-it-alls are always covering up behind themselves.

However, that is not the only threat he poses to you. The fact is, you will gain no meaningful experience from this boss. Because the Know-it-all doesn't allow you to think for yourself, he has nothing to teach you.

Know-it-alls end up being so taken with their own misguided ideas and so incapable of listening to the people who work for them that they take down whole divisions.

Try to avoid this type.