Just Be Wrong
My favorite Dilbert strip is http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/2009-09-04/. At my previous job this comic strip sums up my old boss perfectly. He was a great guy but he never could be wrong, even when he was wrong. He was the type of guy that would change the rules just so he could be right. I have email after email of proof where he says one thing and then changes it later in the thread and then denies it and then will not even admit he was wrong. It got to the point to where it was very funny actually.
I think humor really is the “best medicine” for situations like this. We cannot expect anyone to be perfect but it should not be too hard to admit when you are wrong. Pride gets in the way but it is even more damaging when you do not admit it because it is clear to everyone else that you are wrong and yet you continue to insist you are right. At that point, you just look like a fool.
When I first started my previous job there were just 5 of us. Myself and another developer would often get emails from the boss that would not make any sense or that contradicted himself within the same email. I used to ask what we were supposed to do and the other developer would just shrug it off. He was used to nonsense emails from the boss.
2 pieces of advice:
- When you are wrong, just admit it. It is not that hard to do.
- If you have to deal with people like this especially if it is your boss I suggest you find humor in it or else you may lose your mind.