How to Deal With an Unsupportive UX Manager

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Your UX manager can make or break your design career

For UX designers, having a supportive manager is a career multiplier.

A good UX manager helps you grow (both personally and professionally). They push you to ask better questions, to own your ideas. They give you projects that stretch your skills, trust you with visibility, and create space for you to learn, fail, and try again.

Your UX manager can make or break your design career

And a bad one will do the opposite! Some signs you can notice:

Career talk will always be “next quarter.” But it never comes.

Teammates get the “strategic” projects; you get whatever’s left.

Your 1:1s keep getting canceled. Worse, turn into mini status updates.

Your wins go into thin air, but your mistakes somehow go viral on Slack.

And somehow, your UX manager treats everyone else like a rising star, except only you.

So, what do you do when your UX manager doesn’t support you — and you still want to grow Let’s talk about it (seriously) today!

➡️ 10 of the Worst Toxic Boss Traits:

Bad Boss Red Flags: 10 Toxic Leadership Traits to Avoid

Spot toxic leadership before it's too late. Discover 10 damaging boss traits that kill team morale and drive good employees away.

https://uxplaybook.org/articles/worst-toxic-manager-behaviors-workplace

Why your UX manager isn't supporting you

Before you officially confirm: "my UX manager secretly hates me", let's get honest about what's happening. Two primary reasons your UX manager isn't in your corner:

Reason #1: They have their own problems

Your UX manager is only a human being.

Maybe they're fighting an internal turf war with their peers. Maybe their boss is breathing down their neck about impossible deadlines. Maybe they're dealing with personal stuff that has nothing to do with you.

Sometimes, your boss doesn't have the emotional bandwidth to support you right now because they're barely keeping their own head above water.

This isn't an excuse. But it is context.

When someone's in survival mode, they don't have extra capacity to mentor, advocate, or champion your work. They're just trying to make it to Friday without getting fired.

The good news is that this type of situation is usually temporary and can be fixed.

Reason #2: They're actually a bad design manager

This is the painful one: Some people are in management positions who probably shouldn't be.

Some are bad managers at first hand (*Reddit) — Some are bad managers at first hand (**Reddit*)

This includes:

The insecure manager who sees you as a threat. You're talented, you're ambitious, and they're terrified you'll make them look incompetent. So they keep you small.

The incompetent manager who got promoted for reasons that have nothing to do with competence. Maybe they knew the right people. Maybe they've just been around forever. Maybe they were born with a silver spoon and never had to actually be good at their job.

Either way, they don't understand UX design, don't care to learn, and definitely can't advocate for something they don't comprehend.

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Let me tell you a story.

True story from a friend: The UX manager who didn't care

Leena, a close friend of mine, once worked under a UX manager who was the textbook definition of an unsupportive boss.

This manager showed up at the office maybe half a day per month. And when she did show up, the only thing she cared about was her outfit 😳

I'm not exaggerating. She'd arrive at meetings, stay for 10 minutes, then leave to change clothes because she “didn’t feel fashionable enough”. And... not come back.

1:1 meetings were reserved for her to complain about her personal problems. No coaching. No mentorship. No feedback.

But when KPIs weren’t hit, she’d scream at the team in front of everyone.

Everyone in teams blamed themselves for not being "good enough." The team was demoralized, burned out, and convinced they were the problem.

The best part is her only qualification: 10 years of experience in the field. Full stop. That was the entire resume. Period. 🤡

And this is the part that UX designers need to hear: experience doesn't equal competence.

Some people fail upward. Some get promoted because they're connected, not capable. And when you're stuck under one of these managers, no amount of good work will save you.

How UX designers can deal with an unsupportive UX manager

Alright, let's talk solutions. But first, you need to do one uncomfortable thing:

Audit yourself as a UX designer

Before you assume your UX manager is the villain in this story, take a hard look at yourself first.

If your design manager isn't advocating for you or helping you level up, it might be because you're not ready yet. Or you haven't communicated clearly enough.

Ask yourself:

Have I clearly told my UX manager what kind of support I need?

Am I consistently delivering excellent design work, or just acceptable work?

Am I waiting for recognition to fall into my lap, or am I making my wins visible?

Be honest. This step matters.

If you're doing great work but your UX manager doesn't know about it, that's on you. Still convinced your work is solid and you've done your part well? Cool. Let's move to the actual solutions.

The strategy you pick depends entirely on which type of UX manager you have ↓

#1: When your UX manager is overwhelmed (but not toxic)

If your UX manager is stressed, overworked, or temporarily unavailable, you can work around it. Here's how UX designers can navigate this:

1. Communicate the exact support you need from your UX manager

Your UX manager isn't a mind reader. Sometimes they want to support you but don't know how. Or they're too buried to do it effectively.

So be direct:

"I need visibility with leadership. Can you include me in the next product review?"

"I need you to advocate for two weeks of user research in the next sprint planning."

"I need 30 minutes to walk you through my design rationale before the stakeholder meeting."

These small reframes matter. They turn emotion into action, and frustration into focus. By being specific, you’re not asking for more time — you’re making it easier for your manager to help you.

2. Manage up your UX manager strategically

Managing up is applied empathy.

You’re studying your “user” (your manager), understanding their constraints, and designing around them. This is a skill every UX designer needs to master.

If your manager is buried, become the UX designer who reduces their cognitive load:

Package your updates visually and clearly.

Tie your work to business outcomes, not just outputs.

Anticipate their questions before they have to ask them.

The goal is to build trust through clarity.

When you manage up effectively, you're not just getting support; you're making your design manager look good. And when they look good, they're more likely to return the favour.

👉 Here’s my deeper breakdown on managing up as a UX designer:

9 Ways UX Designers Can Manage Up Effectively

Struggling with your UX manager? Learn 9 ways to manage up, build credibility, and unlock more growth opportunities in your design career.

https://uxplaybook.org/articles/how-to-manage-up-ux-manager

#2: If your boss is actually toxic

If your design manager is insecure, incompetent, or actively blocking your growth as a UX designer, you need a different playbook.

If your UX manager won't advocate for you, find someone else who will. An internal sponsor is someone senior in the design organization who:

Sees your design potential

Has influence in the organization

Is willing to open doors for you

This could be a skip-level manager, a senior UX designer in another department, or even a product leader you've collaborated with on design projects.

How to build sponsorship:

Be visible at company events, design critiques, and product reviews

Do great design work on cross-functional projects so other leaders see your impact

Ask for advice from senior UX designers and design leaders (people love giving advice, and it builds relationship equity)

Your UX career doesn't have to stop at your manager's limitations. Go around them.

2. Transfer to another UX team internally (if possible)

Sometimes the best solution for a UX designer isn't fixing the relationship. It's leaving it. If you're at a decent company with multiple design teams, explore internal transfers.

Reach out to other UX managers and design leaders. Be honest (but professional) about wanting new challenges and growth opportunities. You don't have to trash your current boss. Just focus on what you're looking for:

"I'm interested in working on more complex design systems" or "I want to get closer to product strategy."

Internal transfers give you a fresh start without the risk of job hunting.

👉 How to explain leaving a toxic manager professionally

How to Explain Leaving a Toxic Job in UX Interviews (Without Sounding Negative)

Learn how to explain leaving a toxic workplace during UX design interviews without sounding negative. Get 10 professional responses and 5 tactical strategies that actually work.

https://uxplaybook.org/articles/how-to-explain-you-left-toxic-workplace

3. Build your exit strategy

If your boss is genuinely toxic and there's no internal escape route, it's time to leave. I know. Easier said than done. But hear me out:

If your situation is keeping you stagnant, killing your confidence, or affecting your mental health, it's not worth staying.

You don't owe loyalty to a manager who doesn't support your growth. Here's your exit checklist:

Update your portfolio: Make sure your best work is documented with case studies that tell the full story (problem, process, impact).

Activate your network: Let trusted contacts know you're open to opportunities. Most jobs are filled through referrals, not job boards.

Interview strategically: When you interview, ask questions that help you avoid repeating this situation.

Don't burn bridges: Even if your boss is terrible, stay professional. The design world is small, and reputation matters.

There are companies out there that will value your work, invest in your growth, and give you a manager who actually knows how to lead. Those companies exist. Go find them.

👉 How to quit a job 101:

How to Quit Your Job With or Without Grace

Leaving your job can be a fresh start or a disaster waiting to happen. Learn the best (and worst) ways to quit, and what comes after.

https://uxplaybook.org/articles/how-to-quit-your-job

UX designers, it’s your move!

If your UX manager is overwhelmed but fundamentally decent, help them help you.

If your boss is the actual problem, stop waiting for them to become someone they're not. Life's too short to spend it working for someone who doesn't believe in you.

Your options are: