Will any one write on how a subordinate should behave. The socio-economic structure of our country may not allow this foreign wisdom to fit in our country, except in MNCs . The chunk of staff is wasting time, rude, evading work and not paying attention to details, and you want the boss to be like a saint.
There are three groups of folks: a) People WHO_GETS_BUSINESS: These are smart folks. These people will always be in demand and if we happen to work under these folks, more often than not, one would learn the essentials to go up the ladder. As these folks are already smart, all of them (or most of them) would not feel insecure about their position and works at the notion of meeting the lion in its den. b) People WHO_IMPLEMENTS: These are also skillful folks on par with people who get BUSINESS. Skillful implementers innovate and ensure they stay relevant and sellable at any time. These folks also would not feel insecure and if we happen to work under them, it is rest assured that we are most likely to get inspired from them. c) PEOPLE_WHO_GETS_THE_JOB_DONE: These are the dangerous folks. They get the job done. By whom. By others. If they get credit it is purely POLITICS. They don’t know how to get it (business) or how to implement it (business). If an organization keeps their count to the bare minimum, then there will be no politics. Well the productivity increases when these people are removed from the organization. One way to remove them is to encourage more automation in the way of standardization. Or we could encourage folks to be evangelist who speaks to two folks (who_gets_business and who_implements) in their terms. Evangelists are even talented folks who are a bit of both (who_gets and who_implements)
It is a top-down approach. If you manager exibits these bad qualities, it is because s/he is being treated the same way by her/his director, who is turn is the victim of such bad pratices played by her/his VicePresident. You cannot find a caring and loving boss when her/his boss isn't doing it to her/him. It is as simple as that. So next time you crib on your boss, just go next level and observe how your boss cribs about her/his boss.
Unfortunately in present times, esp in the private companies, no one can be sure of her/his position and has to play politics to survive the next quarter or so. In an ideal world, such things dont happen. But then, has an 'Ideal World' ever existed ??
Learn to live with it. Play politics to survive. After all, it all boils down to 'survival of the fittest'.