My career hasn’t followed a straight line and I've learned to do a lot of different stuff. The winding path that got me here makes resumes uncomfortable.

So your boss sucks. They play favorites. They make arbitrary decisions and everyone knows they have no idea what they’re doing. They change rules on a whim. You’re right. Your boss sucks. But they’re probably not doing anything illegal. They're just bad at their job.

In most cases, your boss wasn’t evil. You just didn’t get along. Good thing you don’t have to anymore. Even if your boss did do something super illegal, you don’t always get justice. Even if you did get justice, it doesn’t undo the awful thing that happened to you. It’s better to get out of the situation. Keep the awful thing from happening in the first place. 

You remember the legend of John Henry, right? The guy who raced a steam engine through a mountain and then died of exhaustion? It’s a story of human triumph and the futility of resisting progress and a reminder that skill ≠ security and the physical cost of toil and the disposability of the common worker and hubris.

For me, my chair-jacket is an asset. It ensures I won’t freeze in that one conference room with the overactive air conditioning. It gives me the freedom to wear lighter clothing to the office without worrying that I’ll be stuck in an uncomfortable situation.

Maybe you made a mistake. Maybe you weren't quite ready. Maybe you had a lot going on. I know it feels awful, but I promise, no one thinks you’re a failure. Believe it or not, someone probably took great care in what happened to you. Because they know it wasn't all your fault. They wanted this to be as easy for you as possible.

You may see them as a perfectionist. Overbearing. High maintenance. A control freak. Nit picky. Difficult. It’s exhausting. You may avoid them. Or resent them. Since strivers are often high achievers, they tend to land in positions of power, putting their unrealistic expectations on you.

When is it appropriate to send the “Is now still good?” message? It’s not like they’re going to see it. If they were attentive they’d be in the meeting and this wouldn’t be happening to you.

That's what leadership looks like: Putting aside your own experiences and recognizing when it isn't about you. Because, as we explained in that meeting, bias has no place in the workplace.

What started as a step back became a growth hack. When it came time to brand my service, I knew exactly what I was good at, where there was a gap, and what people would pay for. 

Companies don’t reward you for masking dysfunction. They rely on it. They reward the person patching it up with even more responsibilities. Not the kind that come with a promotion, but responsibilities that come with with more fire drills and more late nights. 

Self-promotion isn’t about ego. It’s a kind of management. It took me too long realize that self-promotion isn’t selfish. Staying heads-down just makes me easier to underestimate and overlook. If I didn’t tell people about my skills, they wouldn’t know when to bring me in so I could have the most impact. Or when to just get out of my way and let the magic happen.