Working World

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother,

I left my reliable but boring job to go work for a friend of a friend who was doing a start-up. I’m realizing now that it’s not quite as rosy as it was painted to be. The boss is an egomaniac and I’m always walking on eggshells. Should I stay or should I bolt for the door? I’m just not sure what to do considering the bad economy.

—Always Edgy

Dear Edgy:

No one ever really knows who they’re working for until they’re actually in the trenches. Your decision to leave a secure job may look rash in retrospect — especially in this economy — but assuming you cannot rewind and step back into it, you’ll need to decide how to go forward from where you are. It would be best if you had an actual employment agreement with a guaranteed severance payout were the boss to let you go. That’s something to plan for next time, but I’ll assume it’s too late for that now.

Document your job description and performance standards as part of an “operations review.” Meet with him regularly to be sure that you’re both seeing expectations and performance the same way. Document everything he says you do well, and also how you resolve issues that need to be changed.

Communication is the key, as well as creating a sense of teamwork. Keep saying, “I’m here to make you look good. Keep teaching me how.” The more you can keep him convinced that you are both useful and loyal the longer you can get the experience to augment your resume. But if you are constantly feeling stressed and anxious, start a low-key exploratory search to see what else is out there. Do not make a move until you have a written offer somewhere else.   

YourJewishFairyGodmother.com: What does she do? What do you need? Motivation. Inspiration. Support. Problem-solving.