How do you handle a manager who lacks direction and blames the team? (I don't want to leave the company)

I work at a startup and I’m generally happy with the pay and overall culture. However, I recently switched teams, and my new manager doesn't seem to know what his job actually entails.

Here is what we are dealing with right now:

* **All jargon, no action:** He throws around random buzzwords but never follows up with concrete plans.
* **Unrealistic expectations:** He randomly tries to merge everything under one team, expecting everyone to know how to solve every other team's problems.
* **Nitpicking instead of mentoring:** He has no idea how to help people grow in their careers. Instead, he just nitpicks on trivial, useless things.
* **Shifting the blame:** Our team is currently bogged down with heavy KTLO (Keep The Lights On) work. He isn't bringing in any good, impactful projects for us, yet he blames the team. He asks, "Why can't you find work for yourselves?" and takes zero responsibility.

I don't have any personal enmity against him, and honestly, I try not to let it get to me too much. If things don't improve, I will eventually just switch jobs. But I still want to understand how to handle this type of person (and manage upwards), because I really don't want to leave a company I otherwise like just because of one bad manager.

Any advice on how to navigate this?

**TL;DR:** Moved to a new team at a startup I like. The new manager uses jargon, nitpicks, brings in no new work, and blames the team for only doing KTLO tasks. Looking for advice on how to handle him so I don't have to quit.

Posted Aug 13, 2026, 4:58 PM UTC

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