Big Bad Boss

Spoiler Alert for very unpopular opinion!

I have wondered why articles, memes or any kind of posts on topic “terrible leaders and their characteristics..” are so popular.? I mean, thousands of likes and hundreds of reposts are given to them in few hours time. Not the same result for rather educational posts purely on how to be a great leader and best leadership styles. And definitely less popularity or even none for posts and memes on topic “detect worst employee types”.

And I came to a conclusion that it’s just SELLABLE. It is a guarantee that people will react on those type of posts and quotes - either liking or commenting. Just because it’s RELATABLE to majority of us - either everyone once had a terrible boss or a friend cried on your shoulder how miserable is the work due to a supervisor. We see our own memories and experiences right there in the post - sometimes exaggerated memories and false observations, sometimes exact same. Sure, one can think - I suffered same sh*t, so I react, right?!

Well, the fact is fact - the wast majority of any workforce is employees and absolute minority is owners, leaders, team leads etc. Either once you were an employee or you still are. And a tiny part once was an employee and now have stepped into leader shoes. So is this the only factor for such a popularity - bigger audience who feels the topic relatable? Yes, maybe.

But in human nature - for someone deep in the subconscious level for some not so deep in - is the need to find whose guilt it is I am feeling so miserable at work, feeling demotivated or performing badly. And it is so easy to judge other’s performance and abilities from the bench, especially if that “other” is in higher position. What a relieving feeling it is to identify someone external to blame for “bumpy roads” not ourselves, right? If it wasn't for my boss, I would have been successful, happy and fulfilled a long time ago. Is it really so simple?

Sometimes it is really the case - leaders are destroying employees’ self-esteems and maybe lives, but is it really so in the majority of cases, is it really that 10% broke all of other 90%?

Just recently I saw some super viral post in Linkedin on topic “identify” Bad Leaders and their management styles, highlighting such phrases “they do not hire and work with smart (read: smarter than the boss) and skilled people because of their complexes”, “are unable to accept different perspectives and people personalities than their own”, “criticise instead of giving a feedback”, “give orders instead of trusting employees to do their own way” and more.

Reading these lines people with bad boss experience in the past will immediately “know” the context, picturing the situations where the employee is definitely much smarter than the leader, able to see the whole picture and is much more experienced (well.. exact portrait of ourselves, right:)) and could easily run the business him/herself better than this particular boss.

Basically every line is rather understandable. And yes, the leader should be competent with high level of emotional intelligence, empathetic and more and more qualities required. But let’s be honest, will everyone always be satisfied with this perfect leader? Or there will be always someone who thinks he/she is the worst leader ever?... No matter how good he/she is in general and for everyone else.

And let’s not confuse those less perfect leaders with toxic and immoral leaders who are not much different from totalitarian slaveholders.

But also the fair, strict and empathetic leader will be considered as terrible, too demanding and the one criticising employees when this leader points at someone’s inability to finish e.g. his/her part of a project on time and in needed quality while actively sabotaging other person’s work.

Also super competent, kind and inspiring leader will be considered by someone as unfair despot and slaveholder who does not give enough freedom to employees when this leader will e.g. refuse employee’s request to finish day earlier, because project deadline is tomorrow, project is far from finished, but employee has spent at least 2h on breaks every day for the past week.

Even if everything is relative including both true and false stories, the size of audience who reacts does matter - the bigger the group resonating to the “pain”, the higher the illusion that it is true.