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Dealing with a bad manager starts with accepting that you'll have one at some point, and that how you respond to it matters more than who you report to. Wadsworth Pilot II is now VP of Brand and Growth at Vibe Credit Union, after building his career at Rocket Mortgage.
I wanted Wadsworth on the mic because he built a full career in Detroit without looking elsewhere, and because he actually tells young professionals the hard truths instead of softening them like everyone else does.
How do you deal with a bad manager?
He put it plainly: "There are a lot of bad managers out there. It's just the truth." If you can't work with one, progress gets hard, because at some point every marketer reports to someone who isn't warm and fuzzy.
Starting over from scratch sounds like the move, but it rarely fixes the actual problem. "Your growth is your responsibility, no one else's," he told me. You might land somewhere with a great boss next time, or you might not, so the skill worth building is how to keep growing regardless of who's above you.
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What can a bad boss still teach you?
Wadsworth's view is that a bad manager will force you to become a better reader of the room. Advice threads and tips give you the best case, but you need to actually watch what's going on and respond to it.
His core message: your manager can't be the excuse. You're the one responsible for where your career ends up, not them. Quitting isn't the automatic fix either, since the next job may not come with a better boss.
How do you build a professional network by leading with value?
His rule for reaching directors and VPs: "Don't try to be impressive, be useful. Bringing value, that's the thing." Young professionals don't need senior attention right out of the gate, he said. You need to find peers, build real connections, and rise together over the next five years.
He put it plainly: jobs give you experience, but community is what accelerates you, because visibility builds trust faster than any resume can. The relationships that last are the ones that form organically, not the LinkedIn connection sent the moment you meet someone with a good title.
What does a brand management career path look like?
Wadsworth didn't get into marketing until 27. He had the degree, but skipped internships in college, which set him back. He spent 11 years at Rocket Mortgage starting in sales, moving into marketing through email, and working across direct mail, programmatic, and brand social.
The biggest moment he shared: he was part of the group that convinced Rocket to become the first financial services brand advertising on TikTok while it was still in beta, and an 18-hour placement drove a full month of traffic in one day. He's quick to say it was a group effort. His closing philosophy: "Careers aren't built by chasing titles. Careers are built by becoming useful in rooms that matter."
Watch the full conversation
Watch the full episode for why Wadsworth stayed in Detroit instead of chasing New York or LA, the life-size cardboard cutout his team built of him, and the exact words to use when you introduce yourself to a VP in person.
Watch next: Publicis Media's CMO: 4 Moves to Build Leverage Early in Your Career
Wadsworth is active on LinkedIn if you want to connect with him. Subscribe on YouTube for the rest of the conversations behind this show.