Worst Bosses
Worst Bosses
The worst Mistake a Boss can make is not to say "Well Done"
Bad management can be like porn: hard to define, but you know it when you see it.
The ways bad bosses do that are many, as are the damages to a business’s prospects. Here are five traits of a boss who can make employees miserable and hamper a business’s chances of success.
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Arrogant. “Bad bosses put themselves above the team and create a culture where it’s ‘me or us in management against them, I’ve worked with clients where the hallmark of the company is to recognize who’s the boss, where there is a separation of ‘us’ from ‘them.’”
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Opaque. It’s not a new idea that transparency in management can instill trust and enable an organization to run better. But that wisdom hasn’t trickled down to many bad bosses. My points to workplaces where workers in cubicles next to each other send emails instead of speaking. They’re protecting their backs by documenting correspondence, they’re afraid that if they don’t document something they’ll be the fall guy. That’s the result of a lack of transparency; it’s extremely defeating.
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Taciturn. Similarly, bad bosses minimize the threats to a business unit, and don’t share information about threats with the team, that prevents people from adding value by participating in the problem-solving process. They encourages managers to communicate about problems openly.
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Undisciplined. Bad bosses have poor delegation skills and they don’t manage the team. They see someone at the water cooler and say, I’ve been thinking about this, I’d like you to do this,’ but they don’t look back until two weeks later when the project is going in the wrong direction.” Instead, a good manager would say, Let’s sit down and let me give you examples of what I expect this project to look like and what it will look like for you to meet my expectations. Also, let me show you what I don’t want.
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Detached. Benjamin says that a good boss truly cares about employees, and that’s not just some warm-and-fuzzy philosophy. To delegate and manage well you’ve got to know the strengths of your people, and the only way is to get to know them. It takes time and good listening skills to know each team member’s strengths, skills, and skill gaps. But with those insights, a great boss can (and is willing to) coach people to meet the expectations of the business or business unit.