I'm sure all of us have worked for "good bosses", people who understood the job and their people, and treated both with respect. Whenever in that environment, I've noticed morale and productivity soar, creativity and innovation flourishes. People are happy, and their work benefits, and so does the enterprise, whether it be private or public. It's just the opposite for a bad boss. The enterprise suffers.

Part of the job of a good boss is to (as best he can) insulate his subordinates from the stupidity of his superiors, because as we all know, the First Law of corporate physics is "Shit rolls down hill".

But in the competition between good and bad bosses, the bad always has an advantage. After all, he doesn't really care for his employees or the company. He just wants to further his career.