I once had a boss who paraded his MBA around as if it were a second coming—let's call him Mr. MBA for kicks. Now, don't get me wrong, an MBA is an accomplishment, but in his case, it was like putting lipstick on a pig; the guy was a certified idiot.
I was in the process of applying for a job in another country, which I planned to immigrate to. I listed Mr. MBA as a reference since we got along well and he knew my plans to move and seemed supportive. The recruiter soon contacted me to say that Mr. MBA had written some “concerning remarks” about me—all in an email. The kicker? Not a single “issue” he raised had ever been discussed with me in any performance reviews or one-on-one meetings.
When I confronted him, he turned red, probably never expecting his words to come back and haunt him. His only defense? That he was being “truthful.”
Fortunately, the recruiter had other references and told me she'd reached out only to warn me about Mr. MBA's comments, which clearly stemmed from ego rather than an honest assessment, and did not sit well with her. She advised against using him as a reference in the future.
I promptly reported Mr. MBA to HR, who did their due diligence. They cross-referenced his reference points against my actual performance records, which were, unsurprisingly, glowing since he never said anything before (thus I trusted him to be a reference). When asked what I wanted to be done, I requested an updated, accurate reference and an apology from Mr. MBA.
He did apologise (but I could see it crushed him) —and a few weeks later, he resigned. I suppose being caught in the act of stupidity shattered whatever illusion of competence his MBA had lent him.
I could have pursued legal action, but I let it go. Why? Because I landed the job and am now living my best life in New Zealand.