Good lessons from bad jobs

So it goes with jobs--it is not unusual for us to glean the most powerful lessons from the worst situations. Consider what can be learned:

Poor supervision: Make a mental note of how you felt when a supervisor didn’t pitch in, lied, took undue credit, or played favorites.

Motivation: Watch for the universal motivators, the individual motivators, and when motivation efforts are thwarted by other factors.

Understanding: When a boss or a coworker doesn’t perform well, be a silent detective and try to determine why.

Reward: Think of how management and coworkers inadvertently reward or favor poor performance.

People: Which of your colleagues merits promotion and which ones should be fired? Are the best workers recognized or does management favor the office politicians?

Structure: If you were able to form the organization from the ground up tomorrow, what would you keep and what would be changed?