How to deal with a distant Manager!!

Have you ever had a manager that was basically non-existent? There's both a postive and negative side to this type of Manager, the positive being you don't have someone looking over your shoulder constantly trying to do your job for you and butting in where they are not wanted, but on the negative front a distant Manager can lead.....well nowhere!

At a previous employer my Manager worked in a different city, so already we had a little bit of distance between us. When he first took the position we talked at least once a week and emails every other day, etc. Then something happened where he seemed to settle into a rountine and I could go 3 weeks without talking to him or not getting an email from him for days - basically he became non-existent! He had six direct reports many of whom where in the same boat as myself. At times I thought maybe it's because he knows very little about Testing practices or Quality Assurance, then once I spoke to other peers it became very apparent that it was his MO not to get involved.

Below are some good do's and don'ts when dealing with a bad boss I found by Randell Hansen


Do act professionally in all situations.
Don't reduce your productivity, feign illness, or otherwise compromise your job.
Do find a mentor -- within or outside the organization.
Don't confront your boss in an emotionally-charged rant.
Do consider scheduling a meeting with your boss to discuss ways your boss could change his/her behavior.
Don't go to the boss of your boss, except as a last resort.
Do find an outlet to vent your frustrations and anger, but don’t do it with co-workers.
Don't expect your boss to change -- or at least change overnight.
Do watch for opportunities to transfer to another department within the company.
Don't simply try and block out all the bad behavior; doing so will impact your physical and mental health.
Do use your network to keep abreast of better opportunities outside the company. And do have your resume up-to-date and ready to send out.
Do evaluate your performance on the job and consider ways to improve your behavior, but don’t blame yourself for a bad boss.
Don't think you are alone in having a bad boss; several studies suggest that many of us have to deal with a bad boss at one time or another in our careers.
Do consider keeping a journal that documents all the bad behavior of your boss.
Don't sacrifice your health of self-esteem by staying in the job for the sake of a job. Do consider quitting your job -- even if you don’t have a new job lined up -- if continuing to work for your bad boss is likely to permanently damage your career.
Do continue to document all your accomplishments.