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Mediocre managers seem to be everywhere.

When I catch up with friends, the conversations eventually lead to work and the latest story surrounding their manager weaves its way in.

From micromanagers to incompetent bosses who have no clue, I’ve heard it all. I’ve also experienced it firsthand, which ultimately was a good thing, leading me on a self-discovery journey to where I’m at today (more on that later).

But if seven out of 10 US workers say they would leave a job if they had a bad manager, why does it seem like everyone is just putting up with it?

According to Gallup, only one in 10 people have the skills to manage and most companies promote workers into managerial positions because they seemingly deserve it, rather than have the talent for it.

Many organizations also fail to give managers the proper coaching needed to be a great manager, leaving them to figure it out on their own, oftentimes at the sake of their direct reports.

Part of me empathizes with this because this could have been me. At one time, I had a vision of leading a small team, helping them leverage their strengths and potential.

But I also know that managers today are under a lot of pressure. In addition to managing, they have deliverables they’re responsible for, business metrics they need to meet, and need to carry the emotions for the entire team.

If we know that bad managers can be a systemic issue within organizations, then taking a look at leadership and other departments might give you a clue if this is a theme.

Does leadership cultivate psychological safety where they're empathetic and opinions can be freely expressed? If so, you might be able to have soft conversations with other teams or even leadership.