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No one enjoys working for a boss who is constantly checking up on them and micromanaging their every move. Were motivated by a certain degree of autonomy to achieve goals based on intrinsic talent, not just external feedback and direction. But when your boss is regularly unengaged for long stretches of time, the joy of independence may soon shift to concern about their capacity and commitment to help you achieve your career goals. An absentee boss can lead to feelings of alienation, job dissatisfaction, and stress. How an absent manager hurts employees In my experience coaching senior leaders with absentee bosses, Ive seen firsthand the damage they can do. Take Rob, a managing director at a top-tier global professional services firm. Robs boss, a powerful partner at the firm, provided Rob with no direction or guidance when it came to his work or career. In addition, he didnt respond to his emails or calls and provided no feedback to Rob other than an occasional verbal lashing. Unsurprisingly, this left Rob dissatisfied, managing his teams in the dark, and deeply concerned about how to make it to the next level in his career. Another client, Jana, served as the global head of a business unit within one of the worlds largest financial institutions. Her business unit was part of a recent acquisition, and her formerly supportive boss, concerned about his standing in the new company, shut her out and now appeared to be threatened by her. He became unresponsive and created barriers to her integration within the new company, disinviting her from meetings where she should have played a substantial role. He also attempted to restrict her travel to network with other leaders at the company. Absentee bosses represent the extreme and worst of laissez-faire leadership. Your boss is arguably the one person in your company with the most influence over your future promotion. Not knowing whether they will advocate for you when opportunities come up, plus not being able to connect regularly to make your case, can complicate your advancement potential. How to deal with an absentee boss Performing well in your job and growing as an employee when your boss is effectively absent presents a unique dilemma. But if you follow these strategies in managing up and increasing your organizational value in their absence, youll have a better shot at controlling your career destiny. 1. Determine if its just you. If your boss has other direct reports besides you, talk with these peers to see what their experience has been with your manager. You may find that they feel the same way you do. Is it possible that there are extenuating circumstances that have contributed to their behaviors? It doesnt solve the problem of a missing boss, but it can help make a challenging situation feel easier if you see that its not personal. And if you do discover its just you, this is good information. 2. Assume your manager has positive intent. Shift to an empathic mindset, imagining what it would be like if you were in your bosss place. Have there been recent changes within the company or in some other aspect of their life that may partially explain the situation? If your boss is pulled in a thousand different directions, for instance, constantly asking for advice or reassurance is going to be alienating. For example, one executive Nihar Chhaya worked with had a friendly relationship with his boss who supported his career growth as well. But because his boss was highly introverted, not particularly ambitious, and wasnt very plugged into networks across the organization, any discussions with him about career development were generally limited in value. The more this executive tried to request his mentorship and support for a lateral or upward move, the more his boss began to politely deflect to other topics. You probably got a sense of your bosss style when you interviewed, says career expert Vicky Oliver, author of Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers & Other Office Idiots. Think back: Was your interview succinct and to the point or did you get a window where your supervisor was truly focused on the conversation without interruption. How do they like to communicatetext, email, or Skype? Is their style rapid-fire or thoughtful? 3. Make clear, specific requests to your boss. Amy Cooper Hakim, founder of management consultancy Cooper Strategic Group, and author of Working with Difficult People: Handling the Ten Types of Problem People Without Losing Your Mind suggests that you keep a running list of questions, concerns, or needs, then ask for exactly what you need to get those needs met when you have your managers attention. When your boss knows the specifics of what youre asking for and how long it will take, theyre more likely to both make the time and be prepared with the information and resources you need, she says. And if you have one half hour a week where you get the face-time you need, Oliver says, youd better be prepared. Think about the time you have and how your boss prefers to interact, then work on asking for what you need accordingly, she says. And always continue to document your successes so you have a record of how youre developing and driving results, which you can show to your boss when the time is right. Whenever Rob needed to catch his bosss attention, for example, hed send an email with RESPONSE REQUIRED in all caps in the subject line. He would make an explicit time-bound request for the support he needed. Heres an example of what he would say: I need you to review and approve this contract/presentation by Friday or we will not meet the clients deadline. Youll also need to be persistent in your follow-up. Dont expect to stop at just one email. Be opportunistic about stating the case for what you need when you happen to see your boss. This may seem extremely frustrating, but it beats the alternative of having their absenteeism impede your ability to make progress and deliver results. 4. Meet your boss where they are. In working to bridge the gap between you and your absent boss, it helps to recognize whether the separation is geographical, caused by a lack of emotional connection and trust, or a mix of the two. If you are traditionally close to your boss on a personal level, but suddenly a new remote work environment or some other shift has made it difficult to connect, try suggesting a weekly or bi-weekly call. This arrangement can ensure a steady work rhythm and maintain your visibility in a way that doesnt overly burden their schedule. In those calls, accommodate your bosss style by noticig the moments where they are more engaged and less so. It can help to proactively offer help on the things that they need most immediately, and then introduce longer-term issues like your career development. For instance, if you can tell from their mannerisms that theyre impatient, match their pace by speeding up and being concise. You may ask them, I dont want to take up too much of your time, whats the most important thing I can do this week to ease your burden? Then when you sense they are inviting you in mentally, you can say, by the way, as we are reaching the next quarter, I wanted to run something by you around my development plan; can we arrange a chat at your convenience? By seeking first to understand their tendencies and meet them where they are, youre in a better position to ask for their support on your career goals because you created a sense of comfort and reliability first. If the distance between you is more of a lack of connection, its important to activate your emotional intelligence and communicate with self-awareness and curiosity, rather than the typical small talk. As research from Harvard Business School shows, physical closeness in organizations isnt always possible, but for healthy, productive teams, mental and emotional proximity is essential. The way to reduce the psychological distance between you and your boss is to create conversations that foster, among other things, intimacy and intentionality. This means that you must take the responsibility to initiate interactions that enable deeper exchanges of trust-building, listening without judgment and gently guiding your manager to consider things they may not readily see but that ultimately will make their job and life easier. One way to do this is to think ahead about the challenges they will face, and offer to help with no expectations about how they will respond. You should also try to stay on their radar in non-intrusive ways that further the dialogue and convey a sense of care without a personal agenda. For instance, reach out and check in on them, just to acknowledge their impact on you or the team and ask if they need anything. If they arent responsive to your occasional efforts at reaching out, leverage the moments after scheduled team meetings to follow up with them on issues of importance and how youll deliver on action steps. 5. Step into the void. Nature hates a vacuum, so see how you can use your bosss absenteeism to step into a higher level of responsibility and hone your leadership skills. As you step up to lead, keep your boss informed so that you can make decisions to keep moving ahead. Email is your friend here. For example, Jana would let her boss know: I will be moving forward with this decision on Monday unless I hear from you that you prefer another course of action. Or: I saw that this was a problem and I am planning on addressing it with a sub-team later this week. Let me know if you have any concerns and/or thoughts you would like us to consider. This is a moment for you to go beyond your own needs for validation in the absence of your boss and embody the leadership role you want to advance into anyway. So first, make sure you dont let your performance slip. Remember that someday your boss may move on, or you will, so how they are acting shouldnt dictate your commitment to your role and the company. But at this moment, and provided your boss doesnt feel insecure or threatened by your initiative, you may be able to demonstrate even more value to him despite the distance. Increase your presence with the team to improve cohesion. Be the cheerleader they need for connection and momentum. Of course, keep your boss informed every step of the way, but offer your help and time to keep everyone in a state of harmony and efficiency. 6. Be bold. Oliver says that you need to remember that you were hired for a reason and youre there to add value. So, pipe up in meetings with good suggestions. Think about what you believe your boss would doand do it. Sometimes, you just need to take action and let your gut and good sense guide you. And, for better or worse, youre going to get feedback, she says. When you add value, people are going to tell you how they feel. Even if it isnt your boss, it could be somebody else whos important there that will tell you how they feel about your ideas. Then the trick is to try to take the feedback, even negative feedback, grow and learn, she says. 7. Develop your internal network. When youve got an absentee boss, you sometimes need to take matters into your own hands and create your own support system, Hakim says. Look for development opportunities and people who can help you both in your organization, in professional groups, and through your network. If your organization offers a mentoring program, join it. You shouldnt close your window so much that youre only looking at that person who directly supervises you, she says. There are people who can help you all around you. Its just a matter of finding them. Find the office know-it-all, Oliver says, and the person who might have held your job before you and gotten a promotion. You may find other mentors or people who simply know the company ropes and can give you insight and feedback, she says. Its important to be able to cultivate mentors and turn people into mentors who dont necessarily expect it. And if youre new to the role or company, use that to your advantage. You typically have a few months of grace period where people are happy to help out the new person. 8. Be prepared to look elsewhere. Quitting when you have a bad boss can be hard for many reasons. But if youve done what you can to salvage the situation and things havent improved, it may be time to look for opportunities elsewhere. Lynda Gratton, professor at the London Business School, recommends employees ask themselves two questions: Am I working at a place that will keep me healthy? Am I working at a place that will help me learn? Use these questions as a litmus test: If you cant check both those boxes in your current situation, you may be best served by finding someplace elsewhere you can. Ultimately, Jana concluded it would be best to move on and is now happily working at a new organization with a more supportive and engaged boss. If you find yourself with an absentee boss, the unfortunate truth is that it will be on you to make the situation better for yourself. Inthe corporate world, those who get promoted to leadership positions arent always suited to managing people. Hoping your boss will change will likely be a waste of time. Accept your feelings about the situation, and drum up the energy to employ the above strategies to succeed in your current role. And if that doesnt work, put your energy toward looking for a position that will give you the opportunity to thrive. Nihar Chhaya and Gwen Moran also contributed writing, reporting, and/or advice to this article and a previous version.
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E-Commerce
The United States is no stranger to adapting its education system to address the challenges of the times. In 1957, the Soviet Union’s successful launch of Sputnik prompted the U.S. to implement programs like the National Defense Education Act, which emphasized science, math, and foreign language education. This resulted in the rapid growth in federal funding for K-12 and higher education STEM programs, and an increase in STEM graduates in the following decades. Today, we face a similar pivotal moment. The Biden-Harris administration recognized this urgency, releasing a comprehensive Federal Strategic Plan for Advancing STEM Education and Cultivating STEM Talent in November 2024. This plan aims to develop the workforce needed to address critical challenges like climate change and artificial intelligence, focusing on three key principles: access and opportunity, partnerships and ecosystem development, and transparency and accountability. However, with current political shifts, the continuity of such initiatives hangs in the balance. The U.S. faces an unprecedented challengenot from external competitors, but from rapid AI advancement that our education system isn’t prepared for. While federal STEM initiatives often focus on bureaucratic solutions through agencies like the Department of Education (only established in 1980), the real imperative is transforming how we teach and learn. Our curriculum needs radical updating to emphasize lifelong learning, rapid prototyping, and creative problem-solving skills. With software development jobs expected to grow at a rate of 17% from 2023 to 2033, resulting in an average of 140,100 job openings a year, we must streamline education, reduce administrative overhead, and focus on practical skills that prepare students for an AI-driven future. Deregulation and local control could actually accelerate this transformation, allowing schools to adapt more quickly to technological change and workforce demands. The AI revolution and the gender gap From 2017 to 2021, we saw how the Trump era’s education policies prioritized deregulation and school choice. As Trump returns, well no doubt see the same. The government and educational institutions across the country are going to have to step up as deregulation occurs. This is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, the Department of Education is only 25 years old. As the founder and CEO of a leading global technology and AI education nonprofit for girls, Ive seen firsthand how AI presents both opportunities and challenges. While AI can automate tasks, it also demands a workforce skilled in areas like data analysis, critical thinking, and human-centered design. However, the U.S. education system continues to graduate a disproportionately low number of women in STEM fields. Women make up just 35% of the STEM workforce, despite classes being offered through the formal school system. Women are already behind and will be even further left behind without the right intervention. An analysis analysis conducted by researchers from Berkeley Haas, Stanford University, and Harvard Business School shows that women are significantly less likely to learn about AI, use AI tools and build AI technologies. Because women arent involved in the development, the data sets AI is trained on are therefore biased. And when women dont have access to economic opportunity, they cant invest back into the community, slowing progress. Thankfully, we can prevent it. We have all the insights and data from past decades to inform our strategy and powerful tools and partners to implement proven strategies at scale. Research proves its possible In 1995, at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), only 7% of the incoming computer science undergraduates were women. The administration was alarmed and supported a study to determine how to bring more women into the field. The Unlocking the Clubhouse study outlined that its not enough to provide access to coursework for women and minorities. There has to be a full spectrum of support that helps move their interest in a particular field to one they identify with. CMU implemented their recommendations and in 2021 welcomed more than 51% women into the program. It proved that we must set ambitious and measurable goals. The AI Forward Alliance did just that. Our recent Women in AI report highlights that to achieve 50-50 gender parity in the AI workforce by 2035, we need to engage around 600,000 U.S. high school girls in evidence-based tech programs every year, starting now. Without this intervention, womens representation in tech will remain stagnant, perpetuating inequities and stifling economic and technological growth. We have to create a sense of urgency, ensuring stakeholders and communities prioritize equitable participation in the tech workforce. This may require a specific U.S. coalition and campaign dedicated to gender equality in AI. Build a workforce for the AI era The U.S. education system will have to play a meaningful role to ensure the country can compete in the AI era. First and foremost, we need a complete overhaul of our education system. Several key areas can help position the U.S. as a leader in AI education and workforce development. First, we must fundamentally redesign our curriculum to go beyond traditional STEM education, focusing instead on learning not just how to use AI but how to build better AI. This means developing courses that teach students coding skills, but also critical thinking about AI outputs, understanding of AI’s limitations, and the ability to effectively leverage its potential. Building on this foundation, we need to take lessons from success stories like Carnegie Mellon’s approach to diversity in tech education. Simply offering STEM classes isn’t sufficientwe must actively engage girls and minorities through targeted programs and mentorship, creating an inclusive environment that supports all students in pursuing tech careers. Finally, we must recognize that the skills needed in the AI era will continue evolving rapidly. This requires fostering a culture of lifelong learning throughout our education system, equipping students with the tools and mindset needed to adapt and grow throughout their careers. The ability to continuously learn and adapt will be crucial for success in an AI-driven future. As we stand at this critical juncture in American education, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The contrast between the Biden administration’s forward-thinking STEM initiatives and the potential reversal of progress under a return to Trump-era policies presents a stark choice about our nation’s future. This isn’t merely about maintaining America’s competitive edgethough that’s certainly at riskit’s about ensuring every American student has the opportunity toparticipate in and shape tomorrows AI-driven economy. The path forward requires unwavering commitment to educational equity, sustained investment in STEM programs, and a recognition that in the age of AI, we need all of America’s diverse talent pool engaged and empowered. The question isn’t whether we can afford to make these investmentsit’s whether we can afford not to. Our nation’s future innovation, economic prosperity, and technological leadership hang in the balance, and the time to act is now. Tara Chklovski is founder and CEO of Technovation.
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E-Commerce
When you ask ChatGPT a question, how does it come up with the answer? Most people dont give much thought to whats going on behind the screen or how graphics processing units (GPUs) make the AI magic happen in data centers across the country. GPUs are extraordinary, processing exceptionally large data sets and handling highly intensive computations involving billions of simultaneous calculations. Modern GPUs can train neural networks that enable AI breakthroughs that were once the subject of science fiction films. Thanks to GPUs, AI is being used to more accurately diagnose diseases, accelerate drug discovery, detect fraud, improve transportation efficiency, improve customer service, protect our national security interests, and provide personalized education experiences. Not surprisingly, the parallel processing architecture that makes GPUs excel at training AI requires an immense amount of energy. Thats why, according to Goldman Sachs Research, the power usage of data centers will grow by 160% by 2030. Our country is at a critical inflection point. The surge in energy required to power GPUs presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The United States power grid and service modelsbuilt in the pre-AI eraare not equipped to meet this demand. Today, data centers only account for about 2% of U.S. power consumption. But as AI models grow, data center development will outpace how quickly new electrical energy supply and transmission can be built without a shift in strategy. Seize the AI moment This moment marks an opportunity for utility providers, communities, and the technology industry to come together to turn AI into a source of long-term economic prosperity and growthrather than let it create a chasm. GenAI has the potential to transform the U.S. economy, with some estimating it could increase U.S. labor productivity by 0.5 to 0.9% annually. Investing in our AI infrastructure will ensure American communities can attract and retain highly skilled talent, while accelerating scientific advancements. As global powers invest in AI, the right infrastructure is also necessary to ensure our governments and communities can protect critical infrastructure. So how do we seize this opportunity? We need to rethink our approach to building infrastructure and delivering power. Today, electric utilities have a duty to serve demand as it comes. In laymans terms, that means anyone can say, Im building something over here and I need more power for it, and the utility has to add that request into their queue for service. That can be unfair when some customers are asking for massive amounts of power, which could impact the entire community. In some cases, speculative developers demand power in the early stages of a project, prompting utilities to plan and invest in infrastructure for a data center project without backing that may never come to fruition. These speculative developers operate under the assumption that they can put the pieces of the puzzle in place to later sell to a data center developer or operator, a prospect which may never transpire. When those projects fall through, the local community is left holding the bag. Build a more sustainable approach Its possible for data centers to access the energy they need without driving up energy costs for everyone. To achieve this, the industry needs to work with utilities in a collaborative way to close the gap between supply and demand. Data centers can and should take on more of the risk (and costs) of building infrastructure and transmission, which will require regulatory support. Data center developers generally have easier access to capital, fewer restrictions when it comes to buying land and faster decision-making capabilities than regulated utilities. That means, were able to contribute financially to the development of transmission lines and substations. Complex regulatory processes often stand in the way of this today. Paving the path for microgrids, which enable data centers go off grid power and even return power to the grid during peak demand periods, can turn data centers into a grid resource rather than a drain on supply. The path forward AI represents unprecedented potential for human advancement. Whats always been done wont work in the era of AI and electric-everything. American utilities are going to need to invest $50 billion to build new generation capacity for data centers alone by 2030. To achieve this, energy leaders are going to need to think out of the box and explore ways to closely collaborate with industry. Its the only path forward for long-term, resilient growth and a more equitable AI-powered future. Chris Crosby is CEO of Compass Datacenters.
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E-Commerce
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