This piece was first published on January 15, 2013.
When reading the post on firing your boss last week, I was struck by how easy it can be to think of bad bosses as bent on destroying the lives of those who work for them.
But it’s not always that simple. Having managed people, teams and people managing teams for almost 20 years, I have seen people who are the victims of bad bosses go on to become bad bosses themselves.
So here are some ways to spot a bad boss. It helps to know what made a bad boss the way they are, so that you can not only work with them productively, but stop yourself from becoming one too.
- The never satisfied, takes-it-personally boss. This type of boss was the brightest, most conscientious employee you could ever meet, always thinking about how they could get their work done faster and help others. When they got promoted they took it personally that they couldn’t make other people be more like themselves. Inclined to be critical and get annoyed if their staff don’t do things the “right” way, this boss is suffering from a loss of control. Frankly, your mistakes make them look bad.
Remedy: This boss needs to be reminded that people learn through their mistakes. Their focus should be on creating a supportive environment for their team to work at their best. Yes they are ultimately accountable for their team, but getting angry doesn’t help.
Chances of improving? Very high if they get support from their boss when first managing a team. Otherwise they may become a lost cause.
- The “It only works if I do it all myself” boss. This boss knows it all – all of the team’s processes, and how to do it all. They are so busy micromanaging the work of their team that they don’t have time to communicate the big picture. This boss avoids taking holidays in case their team falls into a heap. They are hard workers with a lot of knowledge, but they won’t move ahead in their career, because they’ve never learnt to delegate.
Remedy: A great way of helping this boss improve is to take them out of their comfort zone – put them in charge of a small team where they know nothing and make them learn again.
Chances of improving? Moderate. The difficulty lies in getting them to stay outside their comfort zone long enough for them to realise that they alone are not the answer.
- The “I cannot trust them, I have to ride them” boss. This boss is an interesting counterpoint to boss no 1, because their motivations are completely different, but to their staff, it can feel like the same thing. As an employee this boss was smart but excelled at finding a way out of work. Often to be found in out-of-the-way corners on the phone discussing their personal life, they are great at talking the talk in front of their boss. But they can’t trust their staff, because they don’t trust themselves.
Remedy: They need to find a job that they actually like, where their working life doesn’t resemble a performance piece on how to succeed without really caring.
Chances of improving? Low if they stay where they are; they may only have been promoted due to bad boss no 4.
- The insecure boss. Most people are insecure about certain aspects of their lives. The truly insecure boss lets their feelings about how good their employees make them feel take precedence over how well their employees do their job. This type of boss is great at reducing workforce diversity and promoting other bad bosses, because it is never just about the work.
Insecure bosses operate on a sliding scale; the level of damage they may inflict depends on the level of insecurity that their employee engenders in them. So to other people, they might appear normal and lovely, but for YOU they will quietly unleash the dogs of hell.
You should also be aware that some insecure bosses happily masquerade as highly confident. How you spot them is by their tendency to judge other people on superficial, non-work related issues.
Remedy: This boss needs your help. Victims of an insecure boss need to realise that on some weird level they are part of the problem. So they have to be part of the solution. Give them great feedback, look for the positive and if you secretly think you are better than them, don’t imagine for a second that you’re hiding it. Your body language betrays you even if your words don’t. You have to convince yourself on some level that you like and appreciate them. Find a way to do this or MOVE ON.
Chances of improving? Their insecurity may be difficult to change, but how you interact with them can. Think of it as a game where you fake it till you make it, and you may find you actually start to appreciate them.
So that’s a quick run-down of a few bad bosses. Can you relate to at least one of these types?
Being aware of the pitfalls we can each fall into is a great way of increasing our own self-awareness. That self-awareness creates greater empathy for those you work with and a greater likelihood of a long and productive career with bosses who will appreciate you for who you really are.