When starting a new job, any new recruit hopes to grow and learn new skills, but sometimes their boss ends up to be more of a hindrance than a help.

When a careless Army boss fumbled their way through a critical briefing, this lieutenant was able to save the day and embarrass their no-good boss in the process.

Read on for all the details!

Spent a year being boss’s minion, then publicly showed him up in a meeting

I reported to my first-ever unit in the Army Reserves 8 years ago.

I was a newly-minted lieutenant and if I was any greener, I could’ve engaged in photosynthesis.

Unfortunately, he drew the short straw when it came to his boss.

To my dismay, it turned out my boss knew nothing about the MOS our very small unit specialized in and he didn’t particularly care to either.

Being the brand-new LT I was, I had no clue what I was doing and ended up being his little minion while I attempted to carry out/ enforce his directives.

This put the lieutenant in a tough spot with other soldiers who outranked him.

This meant I spent most drills exasperatedly trying to convince a bunch of seasoned soldiers why they should do a bunch of inane tasks that ultimately served no helpful purpose.

The boss was a real jerk, to put it lightly.

As the cherry on top of the cake, the commander was also a particularly unpleasant character.

He was very certain that he was a smart guy, but listening to him for any period of time would make it clear he wasn’t.

His erratic behavior was tough to handle.

As if that wasn’t enough, he was also the sort who liked to swing between trying to be “one of the guys” and “hey, guy, don’t forget who you’re talking to” when his feelings got hurt.

This went on for about a year, during which time I attempted to learn my actual job from the guys in the unit.

Then came the day of an important meeting.

About a year after I first reported, we had a battalion training meeting about planning our annual rifle qualification range.

For those who don’t know, ranges like this are one of the most basic training functions that a unit can do and even a brand-new LT like myself should be able to plan one.

However, instead of being involved in the planning process and doing some work, a lot of the work he should have been doing got shoved off on me.

The lieutenant sets the scene.

Fast forward to the meeting.

All the other units on the call had given their reports before it came to us. We were in the room with a neighboring unit’s command team.

The boss’ carelessness finally caught up to him.

My commander took the hot seat and absolutely butchered the briefing. He was completely unprepared, had absolutely no idea where things stood, and completely stammered his way through.

It was absolutely embarrassing to watch for everyone in the room and the awkwardness was so thick you could have cut it with a knife.

The commander turns to the lieutenant. Now is his time to shine.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the battalion commander asked me to get the group up to speed.

I (who hadn’t spoken for the entire meeting) was a nervous wreck because I didn’t have much experience with public speaking.

All his hard work paid off.

But my notes saved me because, again, I was the one who actually did a lot of the work.

I doubt he got in any real trouble, but it definitely destroyed any credibility he had left in the command.

I still smile about that moment to this day when I think about it.

Now that’s some satisfying revenge.

What did Reddit think?

Just about the worst thing a boss can do is underestimate their employees.

Sometimes it’s warranted to go above your boss’ head.

This redditor appreciates the lieutenant’s ability to make the best of a bad situation.

If possible, time your screw-ups strategically.

Armed with their notes, this bright new lieutenant showed up their lazy boss and proved his worth.

Never underestimate the power of preparation.

Thought that was satisfying? Check out what this employee did when their manager refused to pay for their time while they were traveling for business.