Dear Bob ... I've been thinking about what it takes to succeed as a leader. Besides competence and compassion, a third criterion has emerged in my organization: rapport with the big boss. A manager's star rises and falls according his standing with our temperamental department head. During our last big reorg, two middle managers and one supervisor -- my boss -- were demoted to do-nothing staff jobs. Two former s Dear Bob …I’ve been thinking about what it takes to succeed as a leader. Besides competence and compassion, a third criterion has emerged in my organization: rapport with the big boss. A manager’s star rises and falls according his standing with our temperamental department head.During our last big reorg, two middle managers and one supervisor — my boss — were demoted to do-nothing staff jobs. Two former supervisors were brought back from staff jobs to be supervisors again. That’s not even counting three other supervisors who have found jobs in other departments as refugees over the years. These are all people who can stand on their own two feet, not merely cronies left over from the previous administration. I think my department head is running out of people who can stand her.Or people she can stand. Talk about “human engineering” being a factor. I think she’s in over her head in this job, and desperately insecure. And temperamental.As a lowly individual contributer — ManagementSpeak for “somebody who does work” — how would you deal with her? I have two layers of management between us, so I rarely have to deal with her directly. It’s more a question of dealing with peers and bosses who bring up this subject. My new direct boss, by the way, is a sweetheart. She sounded me out by confiding that she’s always a little afraid whenever she gets called into the department manager’s office. I answered that the big boss is probably more afraid, most of the time.How would you have answered?– Dealing with another bad manager Dear Dealing …As an individual contributor I’d stick to my knitting. Give thoughtful opinions when sincerely asked, otherwise just parrot the party line, do your job, and be alert for minefields – assignments where if you take them on you’ll get into trouble but if you don’t take them on you’ll get into more trouble.If you are sent into a minefield, make sure you have plenty of company. Call a meeting early in the assignment, including the out-of-her-depth department manager, to review your formal statement of work with all stakeholders. If you aren’t familiar with the term, a statement of work describes what you’re going to do, including a high-level description of the objective, clear business goals, and specific deliverables. If you are familiar with the term … well, nothing changes except that my explanation was unnecessary.Anyway, help your boss however you can so long as it doesn’t give you excessive visibility. And if your boss asks your advice, suggest a similar strategy on her part. Neither of you have much to gain by trying to show leadership where none is desired, and chances are good that if she’s as out-of-her-depth as you think, left to her own devices she’ll eventually be found out.Everyone else’s goal should be to avoid sinking with her, I’d think. But that doesn’t answer your question. At the risk of slicing the bologna pretty thin, I’d have said insecure rather than fearful, but it’s a fine enough distinction that I don’t think we’re very far out of alignment with each other.– Bob ——– Technology Industry