How do you deal with mediocre superiors and their lack of leadership?

I will answer your question in a more general way which is "how to influence up" which is not dependent upon if your superiors are good or bad:
1. Use Sun Tzu. Know yourself, your enemy (superiors in this case) and the terrain. Know yourself by knowing your own strengths/weaknesses, goals/objectives, opportunities/threats and endstate. Know your superiors by knowing their guidance, personalities, and process/procedures/systems. Know the terrain by knowing your operational environment.
2. Know doctrine. Best time to influence is before highers OPORD (not after) and know echelon timelines and issues.
3. Take decisive action. Do this by anticipating and acting, creating opportunities for engagement, pushing information higher, proactively engaging, and picking your head up from the bayonet fights that you are in.
4. Do not expect decisive results on every engagement. Be tactically patient and plant seeds early. Then harvest these seeds at the appropriate time.
5. If all else fails, remember that among your job, your boss, and your current location; one of the three will most likely change out within the next year.

I submit that you do your best, CPT Chris Loomis, and set the example for YOUR troops. While you're at it, you may have an influence on those mediocre superiors. They'll see you doing things right and they just might follow your lead.

I view myself as a "bullshit umbrella". PV2 Snuffy doesn't need to hear the waffling back and forth about "Is there LIK this month?" or stress about the fluidity of our next mission. He needs to be able to show up and execute. They don't need to see me sitting there, angrily throwing things around in my office....pissing and moaning about the trials that we all endure. They need to see me and know that I'm going to bust my ass to take care of them. Their only concern should be "How can I add to the team and support my leadership?" My concern is everything else.

I do my best to assess my leaders early and often. For me, I tend to push hard when it is important.....so at times I'm sure my superiors shake their head when they see me coming. I've ranted and raved in their offices like a madman when it's important....but it's because I care about my troops.

Mediocre/lack of leadership I can deal with more than incompetent/overinvolved leadership. I can guide my troops independently......sometimes pushing someone's nose out of my platoon/company is harder than dragging someone by the dog tag chain to get my Soldiers' needs met.
v/r,
CPT Butler

2LT Loomis, as an O1, your biggest job is to learn how to be an officer. What you got in Officer Training is of very limited use in the real world. Learn from your Senior Enlisted, learn from those above you in the chain.

You will always run into people with severe cranial-rectal inversions. Sometimes you have to just sick it up in the military. Learn from what you see, and try to avoid making the same mistakes you see them doing. However, I will counsel you with this aphorism, children in their teens think their parents are clueless idiots. When they are 35, they become amazed at how much wisdom their parents gained in 20 years. Note:the parents didn't change. ..

Well LT I'll tell you - welcome back to the zero defect Army - when I first started LT OERs were not masked, then they were, now they are not - again . . . The idea was that there is a learning curve for junior officers and that a good leader would allow (within reasonable limits) their subordinates to make mistakes and learn by doing - I always tried to mentor my subordinate leaders and would, as long as their acts were not contrary to policy, regulation, or law, subsidize mistakes. Bad leadership happens. The best advice I can give to you and any other junior officer reading is this - you can not pick your 'boss' in the Army - so good, bad, or ugly, you will have to deal with it. The best way to deal with it IMO is to NOT take thing personally - it is not personal, it is the Army. Also, remember that whatever you are doing, it is the Army and the Army's - you don't own that product - it was produced on Army time using Army material and coordinated with other soldiers. Learn this, live it, love it and your time in ACUs will be enjoyable - don't and you will live in a miserable 'hell' of your own creation until you PCS or REFRAD. Cheers!

I have found it useful to only interact with them when absolutely necessary and focus on getting things done at the working level which is where the work gets done anyway. Being competent and being willing to share credit are keys to success in my opinion.

Personally I have always been blunt with subordanates, peers and superiors. I have never been disrespectful or untactful in my criticism, concerns or suggestions. But have never been afraid to step on toes if necessary. To be a true leader you must watch, listen and learn from all sources and avenues to develop your successful approach. If you fail to take criticism and suggestions you will fail. So don't be afraid to add your concerns or suggestions. Good luck!

You know, I entirely perceive your rationale for asking the question, I think, however, in all the time I was in, quite honestly, I never had one that was like that...God knows I was, on reflection, being entirely honest about it, at least till I learned gradually how to function in the role, albeit too late, as turned out to be the case, however, candidly, of all those I was under, and there were many, both active duty, as well as civil svc, none of them were ever like that, honest, incongruous and unlikely as that might seem...some also positively floored me, when I'd met them, honest, incl. one O-9 Apollo astronaut when I was at USAF OTS, the O-6 who was the Lackland OTS Commandant while I'd been there, he'd been a personal friend of the Apollo astronaut,and the O-6 CO of my unit, who'd just been selected for O-7, with whom I sat once for a solid hour, who'd been awarded the DFC, and, as I'd only learned much later, flew over 400 combat missions in O-2s in Vietnam...then there was the O-9 of my unit, whom I saw twice, the O-6 who was base commander where I was, with whom I'd once spent an entire day...quite honestly, the limitations and mediocrity were entirely with me, candidly, never them, I assure you....

I guess it depends on the job and position you’re in. If it’s in the combat arms, such as training and leading soldiers into combat, you probably don’t have too much of that, otherwise soldiers will probably get killed. If it’s in a support position, I would probably try to work around them, unless I had no other choice. A lot of people that are in leadership positions, shouldn’t be…not that they’re bad people, they are just not natural leaders, no matter how much training they get. Just a thought.

Sir, John Maxwell has a course entitled the 360 degree leader and it specifically addresses leading up. Which is basically working to help you leader be more effective as a leader and manager. There are about 7 steps but the first one is the most important and that is do your job very well first. Without doing your job extremely well and gaining credibility with your leader you will never be able to influence them in any way.

Once you have gained that credibility and rapport with you leader you can then help them to become better. Also, you should probably be able to speak to their failings in a manner that invites discussion...not easy for most of us!