I need to vent and also get some perspective because this situation is starting to wear me down.
My boss is genuinely a good person. Kind, friendly, easy to get along with. No issues there on a human level.
But as a manager… it’s been really frustrating.
He’s been in the company for 4 years and came in with no background in our industry. The problem is that he never really caught up. There’s still a noticeable gap in understanding of what the team actually does, and it shows up constantly.
Because of that, a lot of our day-to-day ends up being spent re-explaining things, adding context, and making sure everything is understood correctly. It’s not just occasional, it’s a pattern. The same topics come up again and again, and it doesn’t really stick. It slows everything down and makes even simple things feel heavier than they should be.
What makes it harder is that there doesn’t seem to be any real effort to close that gap. At times, we’ve tried to suggest ways he could get more up to speed or understand things better, and it’s not received well. It can turn into frustration instead of improvement, so people have started to just… stop trying.
Recently we got moved into another department, and now he’s expected to represent the team more and respond to more questions. That shift has made everything much more visible, and honestly, more stressful. We’re constantly having to jump in, clarify, or make sure things are accurate in real time. It feels like we’re managing both the work and the communication around the work.
There’s also a lack of ownership when things get complicated. Instead of clear direction or escalation, things tend to just float until someone on the team steps in and handles it. Over time, that responsibility just gets absorbed by the team without really being acknowledged.
We’re not a “yes” group. We’re independent, opinionated, and we care about doing things right. But lately, with the pressure increasing, it’s turning into burnout. People are getting tired of pushing back, tired of explaining, tired of trying to improve things. I’m at the point where I don’t even want to argue or correct things anymore, which is not how I usually operate.
We also spend a lot of time in meetings just walking him through everything so he can go to upper management and report back. And that part is honestly frustrating, because it can feel like we’re doing the work and also packaging it in a way that makes it look like it’s coming from him. On top of that, there are times where it feels like even basic communication (like emails) isn’t being fully processed, which just adds another layer of repetition for the team.
Another hard part is the lack of growth. There hasn’t been much guidance, feedback, or mentorship coming from him. Most of what I’ve learned has been self-driven or from teammates, which is fine to a point, but not what you expect long term.
At this point, it feels like the team is not only doing the work, but also quietly holding things together behind the scenes. From the outside, everything probably looks fine because deliverables are met, but internally it’s a different experience.
What makes this harder is that I actually like the company and I enjoy the work itself. I’m not trying to leave just to leave. But this situation is starting to feel unsustainable, especially as things grow and expectations increase.
I’m stuck between:
adapting and just dealing with it
trying to raise the issue somehow
or considering leaving even though I don’t want to
Has anyone dealt with something like this? What would you do?