At some point in your career you (or someone close to you) has probably worked for someone that was a rotten boss. According to an April 2015 Gallup study, 50% of workers in the United States have quit their job to get out of this very same scenario. This situation is very common because hiring and promotion decisions are usually based on a team member’s past experience and/or technical expertise, and not how good of a leader they are or what management skills they possess. These folks get rewarded for their technical expertise by being put in an entirely different role supervising or managing team members…often with disastrous results.
What is a rotten boss? Here are seven of the most common behaviors of someone who probably shouldn’t be in a leadership position:
1. Nitpicking and micromanagement: Nobody can do it as good as they can. They are down in the weeds and in your business.
2. Public criticism/bullying: They enjoy correcting people or calling team members out by name in meetings and public forums.
3. Lack of positive feedback: Their only interactions are to tell team members what they are doing “wrong”, and there is never a pat on the back for what they are doing “right”.
4. Doesn’t encourage career growth: No discussions are held to find out how the team member wants to develop and how the business and the leader can support them.
5. Bad listener: They don’t solicit input and/or they can’t or won’t listen.
6. Plays favorites: They expect less and relax rules for certain team members.
7. Never wrong/don’t apologize: Everyone makes mistakes. But when they do they sweep it under the rug or don’t apologize for it.
Did reading these seven signs bring back memories? What kind of impact did that rotten boss have on you, your team members and your organization? Team members are an organization’s greatest asset. Companies need to ensure that when hiring decisions are made that the person has either demonstrated good management skills, or that they are given the leadership training they need to be a good supervisor or manager prior to or as soon as possible after promotion. Rotten bosses result in team members who either leave the organization or stay and are miserable, so it is very important companies hire and promote the right people and provide timely and impactful leadership training.