Joshua, that is a great question. It reminds me of a statement I'm going to paraphrase to put it the context of this discussion. Some say people are followers because there is a leader to follow. Others might say that there are leaders because people are willing to follow them. It's like which came first the chicken or the egg.

Just because we are supposedly in a lower position reporting to someone above us who is not acting like a good leader doesn't mean we don't have options while still there on the job. Of course, we can move on which is why micro-managers and other un-leaders with titles have much higher employee turnover.

On a side note, I have been recommending to clients and giving speeches for almost three decades advocating that all executives and managers should have employee turnover included in their performance measurements and their bonus calculations. If people start losing bonus money because their employee turnover is too high they will be very motivated to change their ways fast. Haven't had many takers on this idea but I keep hoping it will catch on one of these days.

If you know you are going to leave a job anyway, this is a perfect time to do some new things to see what change you can affect. I understand you have to do this carefully but if you are a true leader you can pull it off. First, assume a leadership role yourself. You don't need a title to do that. Deal with your boss as if you are peers and become the leader. You might tell them, "here is what the team is going to do now. Some of my people are real sensitive about someone looking over their shoulder and I want them to give their all so we get the best results. Maybe if you can stay invisible on this project for the next three months, I can get them really moving. I'll keep you informed on the progress but leave it to me to figure out the details. Thanks for having confidence in me. You'll be pleased with the results." Or something like that. In sales, we call that an assumptive close. You have nothing to lose. This is just one example. You can come up with a hundred different things you can do where you start leading your boss and educating your boss.

Yes, you can take charge. There is nothing that says because one person has the title everyone else has to just curl up in the corner and let them be the way they are. Remember, they are afraid...afraid the job won't get done right...afraid nobody else knows how to do the job...afraid of what their boss will think if they don't perform. They need their own confidence built and need positive reinforcement every time they back off.

What do you have to lose if you were thinking about leaving anyway? These are great opportunities to spread your wings and see what you are really made of. I know one person who moved up the ladder to a very senior position with the CIA. They would tell their boss what they wanted to do, write their employee evaluations for their boss (telling their boss what to write) and so on. They literally led their bosses for their entire career sometimes to do things the bosses didn't really want to do. And it worked. This person was able to outlead their bosses. Their retired receiving two of the CIA's highest honors, awards that had not been given out in over a decade.

The reason this doesn't happen too often is because people become limited by their own perceptions. They think there is nothing they can do so they don't do anything. Followers have an unbelievable amount of options and more power than they realize. I've seen situations where a group of restaurant managers revolted when the VP of Operations made some excessive demands on them. They all stood up to the VP and the VP got fired.

Followers make leaders. Without followers, the leader can't lead even if they want to micromanage. This is the little secret that bad managers don't want anyone to know about.