I stood up to my boss, then he got promoted
The lesson is that going over your bosses head and complaining higher up the chain is not seen as initiative. It is seen as a communication failure. If your boss is bad at their job, you are still supposed to be able to communicate with them, work with them, and get problems resolved. If you hold back from talking to your boss, build up grudges, then launch them uphill.... even if your facts are correct, you have just become a problem.On the other hand, if you had been having ongoing discussions with your boss so everything was out on the table, and just weren't getting anywhere with your boss, then you could mutually escalate it in a productive way, working together to request some higher-level assistance.Working well with people is often more important than being right. Because a group of people who work well together will work mutually find the correct answers, using everyone's strengths, and helping each other grow in the process.