Bad Bosses Ignore These Must-Have Employee Values

“Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.” -Andy Stanley

Bad bosses are the silent killer of otherwise vibrant organizations.

Have you ever had a boss that made you feel like they just didn’t get you? A boss so disconnected with reality that it made you question how they became a manager in the first place? Unfortunately, this is a common lament across businesses in America, large and small. 

The kicker to it is that many bad bosses are not self-aware. A recent infographic in Talent Quarterly shows that bad bosses “have hubris and overconfidence” and are “likely to interpret feedback as a personal attack” or worse - “blame others for mistakes.” My work across the country echoes - if not screams - in agreement with this fact time and time again. Companies will hire my firm, Jumpstart:HR, LLC, to conduct an employee engagement survey for one of several reasons:

• The company is experiencing rapid turnover
• Employees seem aimless and unproductive
• Employees appear to distrust management and management doesn’t understand why
• Specific departments are notorious for turmoil, yet management has 100% confidence in the leader of that department
• The company is performing poorly and is on the verge of going out of business

The reality, as engagement survey after engagement survey reveals, is that the problems stem from a bad boss who fails to honor one of a few core employee values. My definition of an employee value is “a way of conducting business and leading a team that honors everyone and promotes positive outcomes in the work we do and the people we work with.” Bad bosses think they are accomplishing this but there are often blind spots.

So what are some of the core employee values that any boss can be more intentional about? 

Here are the most important ones: 

External Professional Development

If your employees have not had any training since the release of the last iPhone, they’re probably lacking in competitive knowledge.

External professional development opportunities are important to employees because growth does not happen in a vacuum. Employees need new skills, new ways of seeing business challenges, and access to peers outside of their organization. Even if you work for a large, multisite corporation, an employee needs to be able to compare “your organizations' way of doing things” and the latest best practices. This value helps employees be continual learners and helps your business by solidifying the skills and talents within your organization. 

Internal Mentorship and Coaching

If your employees do not feel like they can be groomed for success within your organization, they will find a way to grow outside of your organization - or simply not grow at all.

Internal mentorship and coaching opportunities create staff cohesion and improve retention. How powerful of an employee engagement tactic would it be to actually engage your employees with one another in a way that makes your organization smarter, faster, and more unified? As a leader in an organization, make yourself available to your team for coachable moments or find someone senior on your team who can fill the void.

Clarity from The Top

Do your employees have crystal-clear clarity about the part they play in making your organization a success? If not, what’s getting in the way of that?

You might be surprised to know that in a survey we conducted in early 2017, “Clarity from The Top” was the #1 requested aspect of employee development. This should tell you that employees want transparency. They want to know where the organization wants to go, their specific role in getting there, and feedback along the way. 

Bad bosses lead from a position of “do as I say because I say it” not “do what I say and here’s why.” That shift alone can create a more rewarding experience for all members of your team.

Goal-Setting and Accountability

Does your team celebrate getting things done? More importantly, does your team discuss what it takes to make progress in incremental steps?

Good bosses are invested in the process. That means being involved with setting goals and creating an environment where people know that they will be held accountable to the duties asked of them. Think people don’t want accountability? Think back to those times in school where there was the slacker who didn’t pull their weight but wanted an equal grade. Engaged team members want feedback for themselves and others - it keeps things honest and transparent. 

Bad bosses give tasks without being invested in the process. Good bosses walk alongside the team as they accomplish milestones. 

If you are experiencing low engagement in your organization, this article is a great place to start uncovering why. Anyone can go from bad to good by simply modeling these behaviors and making your employee’s growth a priority. 

What more would you add to this conversation? Comment below.

Get Social: 

Joey Price // 

IG - www.instagram.com/joeyvpriceHR  

T - www.twitter.com/joeyvpriceHR

FB - www.facebook.com/joeyvprice 

Listen to the Business, Life, and Coffee Podcast: 

iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/business-life-coffee-entrepreneurship-life-hacks-personal/id1031048631?mt=2

Podbean - www.businesslifeandcoffee.podbean.com