‘I stood up and told her "I'm done with this conversation" and walked out’: Boss promises big opportunities, then pushes a star employee out of the loop, favoring two junior minions she hired to flatter her

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
Aug 31, 2025 6:00 PM EDT

A manager sells a dream job with flexible days and big projects, then delivers a waiting room with fluorescent lighting and a hype reel about herself,  six months in the mask slips, the circle tightens around handpicked cheerleaders, and any request to do real strategy gets treated like insubordination. The meeting plays out like clockwork: ask to contribute, watch your record get rewritten, see prior praise vanish, hear a comparison to a junior you routinely support, and notice the insult land so clumsily she hears it too. Standing up and leaving is not theatrics,  it is a boundary that says the gaslight is off today. Fresh air, a sick day, and a documented note with HR are the only oxygen in a room built for flattery instead of work.

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  • Stood up and walked out on NBoss

    two woman speaking in a professional setting. one looks condescending
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I have been under one of the most deranged narcissistic managers I've ever worked for, for just under two years.
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  • It only makes sense that insecure leaders recruit with promises, replace resources with optics, and manage by triangulation, inflating favorites and belittling threats while calling it coaching. When the product is image, truth feels like sabotage, so metrics get revised and history reshaped to flatter the boss. The counter is simple and effective. Stop auditioning for access. Move value into artifacts like deliverables, timelines, written recaps, and stakeholder receipts. Route feedback through channels that timestamp reality, not through rooms where performance is graded on praise density.

  • Her behavior started with love bombing my colleague and I about all the rich, wonderful opportunities we'd enjoy, WFH 3 days a week, etc.
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  • About six months into our tenure, her facade started to unravel and her narcissism came out in full form.
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  • a woman walking away from other workers in an office setting. one woman sitting in the background is looking at her direction as if she doesn't understnd where she is going.
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Come to find out, half the stuff wasn't even operational when we started so we sat around with not much to do.
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  • The 3 days WFH was just a lie to get us amped up to sign on.
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  • This is one of the most insecure people I've ever worked for. In need of constant validation.
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  • Needs everyone to see her as a genius visionary. Constantly gloats about her accolades and know how in the most awkward, unprovoked manner.
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  • a woman with her back to the camera walking away
    via Mathias Reding

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • My colleague and I have been each other's support systems through it all.
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  • Today things sort of came to a head | when I requested a meeting with the NBoss to discuss how I could be more involved with the strategic planning around my work.
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  • For weeks and months, it seems like my colleague and I have been pushed out of the inner circle as my NBoss gravitated towards the two sycophants she hired to surround her and tell her all the things she wanted to hear.
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  • As soon as I expressed what I wanted to express, the manager tensed up and became defensive.
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  • Started diminishing my work completely out of the blue despite tons of positive feedback prior to this.
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  • Then she started comparing me against my colleagues and went for the ultimate low blow by telling me our most junior analyst was "faster than me" when it comes to work.
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  • This is such a flat out, absurd fabrication, as I am often the one helping the junior analyst out with their work.
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  • In fact, I have produced about 75% of the work for our entire team and have supported numerous projects successfully.
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  • As this came out of her mouth, there was instant regret in her voice and face as I stood up and told her "I'm done with this conversation" and walked out.
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  • Whether this is perceived as right or wrong, I don't really care.
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  • It was one of the most empowering decisions I made by taking away her ability to continue trying to disparage me and diminish my contributions to the team.
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  • I took a few laps outside around the building before deciding to call it a (sick) day and went home.
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  • I haven't heard from her since and it's been radio silence.
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  • My colleague and I (the junior analyst) have had similar encounters with this manager and have been in discussions with HR about dealing with this.
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  • I don't expect a whole lot, but at least it'll be on the record.
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  • If escalation is needed, escalate with documents, not adjectives,  if departure is needed, depart with references secured and wins cataloged. Walking out of a rigged conversation is not quitting,  it is refusing unpaid theater. Real work endures scrutiny. Manufactured hierarchies fold the moment the script stops cooperating.

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management boss workplace-stories hr manager bosses work PTO managers supervisor workplace Horrible Bosses work-life balance
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