I know I'm not the only one who has had a crappy boss at one time or another in their career. You know, the one who manages through fear, is unpredictable, and loves 'playing games'. A common response to anyone who dares challenge their somewhat 'interesting' view of the world is to label those employees 'difficult and unappreciative', with repercussions sure to follow. Reporting into managers like this is exhausting.

Suffice to say that throughout my career I am lucky that I have only had a couple who fit this profile. In both cases when staff engagement survey feedback came back accurately reflecting how the team felt, rather than listening and responding, reactions were swift and emotionally driven. 

There were four lessons I took from these experiences:

1) Choose who you wish to follow. In both scenarios I chose to leave. Not through pressure but through choice and a realisation that I wasn't willing to compromise my integrity or values. I wanted to be inspired. I learned that a...