You are missed moment they find your replacement

Remember that “the boss is the boss for a reason”, as if to imply that the person earned it because they are superior in some way or form and that questioning the latter is in itself blasphemous. If the boss were a holy figure, that would probably be true. But holy figures don’t even exist. And thank the Lordy, the 19th century factory system is over—so we can now engage in critical thinking.

Do not check your ego. My advice is for you to not “check your ego”. But make sure you’re calm, objective, and balanced. Trust your gut and logic, because people get promoted for an array of reasons and indeed, competence may not be one of them. The clueless boss could just be an agreeable/charismatic person, or upper management might find them non-threatening and cool to work with. There’s also the Peter principle, where some are promoted because they did a great job at their previous limited area of expertise but are now unable to manage a team efficiently due to a biased microscopic way of reasoning. The list goes on and on.

A good boss is able to see the big picture. What is very clear though, is that the boss should not know every tiny detail about your job, though they should know about what you do, because only then can they assess your work. A good boss consolidates expertise from talented team members and creates success through a grand vision. They have the common sense to see the big picture and to inspire it. They are the proverbial captain steering the ship.

Incompetent bosses do exist. Of course, incompetent bosses do exist and I am not talking about the laisser-faire boss who is not involved yet lets you succeed on your own terms. The problem is when the boss is so clueless that they start sabotaging your work: when they insist on assigning projects that are not strategic and time bound and that end up harming the business and the bottom-line. Or when an unreasonable boss doesn’t understand an organisation’s bureaucratic administrative system and starts blaming employees for not being able to reach goals on time.

Bad bosses are dangerous. Clueless bosses are dangerous. Why? Because those who are out-of-touch are quick to assign blame. Bosses, like everyone else, have egos. Some of them will not like it if you’re a frequent “explainer” even when your intention is to manage or lead from below. They could be easily intimidated, and you’ll have to dim your lights in order to keep them happy. Life is too short to pretend that you’re inferior all the time. Pretending to be someone else eats up a lot of emotional energy and is very destructive on a psychological level on the long run. Besides, it’s better to use your precious time working with a competent person you’re are able to learn from.

Make a choice. A. If you want to gain power and respect in an organization, you should “never outshine the master”. This is the first rule of thumb that I extracted from Robert Greene’s “the 48 Laws of Power”. It means that you’ll have to keep your head down and make the master look great at any expense, only then will you rise in the corporate ranks. This also explains why idiots become bosses. This method works if you’re comfortable playing politics on a regular basis, because you’ll have to substantiate this seemingly docile attitude with a cunning array of tools so that you may then strike when the iron is hot. But this scarcity-minded approach can be very time-consuming and most people can’t play the game right. Result = being stuck under the fearful boss.

B. You can also wait for the boss to leave the company or to perish so that you can either take their place or work under someone who might be nice to work with. This approach requires giving up power and control and waiting for providence and serendipity.

C. The third choice is to realise that idiots exist in many shapes, forms, and titles and we do not have to engage with them all. Once you realise that your time and life are precious, proceed with job-hunting or move to a different department. It’s very empowering to work with a person who does not frustrate you and that you can respect. Know your self-worth.

All the advice others have given is awesome - letting the boss take credit for the idea, have good rationale and supporting info, show value, etc all are critical. values. But most of the time, your boss wants his "say" too. So if you give him a package that is completely, totally perfect - he'll likely do something to "tweak" it - because his "perfect" is not the same as yours. So put something in there that's ripe for a tweak. He'll make it, give the thumbs up, and away you go.

When Bosses keep changing your schedule and/or reducing your hours, that is their way if getting you to quit. Update your resume’ and quietly start interviewing for a different job. (Don't tell anyone you're looking for another job. If it gets back to your boss, it will be used as an excuse to fire you, on the spot.) Don't allow this bad experience to hurt your self esteem. It happens to a lot of people. It says more about a bumbling boss, than it does about you.

As simple as saying: “Thank you that's very kind of you.” “Thank you I appreciate the compliment” .“We all put in a lot of effort; thank you for acknowledging our hard work”.“Thank you very much this means a lot me, I'm humbled.” Receive every compliment with unassuming gratitude. Avoid phrases like, “Oh, it’s no big deal,” or “Thanks, but it was nothing.” “Thank you for recognizing my contribution to the team. I really appreciate your kind words and encouragement.” Glad you recognized the effort. But that I nothing without a team like ours. I’m at a loss for words. Thank you guys for making me feel I belong. You’re too kind guys. But thank you for the kind words.

“Thanks for the feedback! I'm always looking for ways to improve my performance, so if you have tips for how I can do so, please do share." Thanks, always happy to do a good job. Thank you, I'm glad it went so well for everyone. Cheers, thanks for letting me know. Always glad to be of service! Great, glad it was so well received. Thanks for taking the time to let me know. You're very, very welcome. My pleasure. Thanks, I really appreciate you taking the time to share that with me." In your face-to-face reviews, say "I really appreciate how often you take the time to send me positive notes on my performance.

While we're here, though, I'd like to ask you directly: do you have any negative feedback you'd like to share with me?" and if the answer is "no", then follow up with "Since we both feel I'm excelling in this position, I'm really interested in branching out and taking on additional responsibilities, perhaps a different role. Have you given any thought to possible options in that area?" Whatever; select, wash, rinse, and repeat as needed. Be brief, be gracious, but make sure you acknowledge the feedback. Cheers!