Are you a bad boss? You know who you are – you are probably just in denial about it or worse…. you know you are and frankly, don’t care.
Here’s some advice - Cut it out. Seriously, cut it out. It’s costing you time and money.
Now this seems like common sense but it seems to me lately that there has been a spike in the bad boss industry and it’s not cool and before you get all defensive, there is a difference between TOUGH and BAD. I’m a fan of tough bosses, you will learn the most from them.
So, I’m not sure at what point these bosses forgot that a LARGE part of their job is mentoring and inspiring their staff to do their job well – but they did and it is really frustrating to hear over and over again.
Why should you care? For the simple reason, you will not accomplish your business and personal goals if you don’t have a loyal staff.
Here are some quick refreshers for all bosses:
- You have a responsibility to your team.
- They look up to you.
- They look to you for guidance.
- They need to know that you have their back and that you will provide them with constructive criticism when needed and depend on you for sharing your own growing experience with them.
- You are showing them how a great boss operates.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you need to be their best friend and go all soft. There is a fine line here, but recently I’ve seen a dramatic uptick in the “all about me” curve with these bad bosses. They manage up well… I’ll leave it at that.
So who are these people?
The Fake Listener: This boss is great, because they are super nice, get along great with everyone (team members, colleagues and ESPECIALLY senior management). Downfall – they don’t do anything with the information and there is no follow up.
The Credit Monger: Doesn’t need much explanation – you do the work, I’ll take the credit and give you none.
The “You know better than to come talk to me” Manager: You have a project dilemma. You have analyzed and implemented all possible solutions to the best of your abilities but you fear you have missed an option. Natural solution would be to discuss options with your boss and see if there is anything else you might be missing. But no, you can’t do this because they make you feel like a piece of crap when you do. So you don’t based on fear. You convince yourself it is better to potentially fail than put yourself in the dreaded “belittler machine.”
There are many other types that are out there (and combo packs too) but I can’t get into all of those personality types…
My point here is that I’m not saying that you have to be the nicest person on earth. Find the balance - I’m a huge believer in understanding who your team is, what skills they bring to the table (you hired them - at least most of the time) and acknowledge that they are all different.
Figure out their strengths and help them through their weaknesses in a positive way.
Don’t have the time? Make it.
That’s what you get paid for. If you can’t do it, hire someone that will. This is a key part of your success otherwise you will lose people year after year.
Again, I repeat - this is a part of your job.
A very important part of your job that will define your success outside of the walls of your company. Remember, managing up is no longer an easy out to not managing down well. With the social networks, word gets out – it will affect your recruiting, your street cred and it will eventually catch up with you when the time comes for you to look for a job.
Now, playing the fair card here - Some folks just aren’t made to work for each other and that is something that both of you need to figure out for yourselves but that is also part of being a good boss - address it. But before you point the finger at your team member or use the “that’s just the nature of the business” excuse, take a look at yourself and be honest. Have you been a fair boss? Have you set accurate and clear expectations?
For those folks that are struggling and do need to keep their jobs until they can find something else, I came across this link on
tips for managing your bad boss.
Again, this goes for both ends and it takes both parties to meet half way. I just really wanted to comment on what I’ve been seeing and hearing lately and it seems like a simple win that is being ignored in company retention and loyalty and perhaps folks need to be reminded.
On a personal note, I did not write this because I have a bad boss. In fact, I’m on the opposite spectrum which is why I felt compelled to write this. The bosses that I have had, truly guided me with their experience and mentored me well, even the tough ones.
Still not sure if you are a bad boss?
Take a look at your retention rate and talk to your people… you will find your answer pretty quickly.
Here’s hoping for a downtick in the bad boss curve in 2012 and uptick in retention!
For more fun reading:
or just google bad bosses :)
