Are You a Bad Boss?

We’ve all seen them.  Some of us have had them.  And no one wants one.

And above all as a leader…. You shouldn’t want to be one!

Bad bosses.

Like others, I read lots of blogs and articles around leadership in an effort to expand my own knowledge and refine my skills so that I don’t become one.  One of the blogs I follow is Michael Hyatt | Intentional Leadership.   This week he posted a fantastic article called Thirteen Ways to Frustrate Your Employees.  This was a humorous, but very honest view of 13 bad boss behaviors.  Given that I’ve had conversations with several of you about “bad bosses”, I think you’ll find this article very interesting.

As I read through the short article, I realized that I have observed every one of these behaviors and definitely have a desire NOT TO BE like this.  And that is part of the point of his article;  you don’t just learn behavior from good bosses, but you learn what not to do from bad bosses.

To take his article a bit further though, it is up to us as leaders to be very aware of how our leadership is perceived and received and then do something about the things that aren’t working as well for us (or others).  Here are three simple steps to take in making changes to your boss behaviors:

1. Assess your leadership.  Be aware!  Whether through official means (e.g., 360 degree surveys, structured classes), through feedback loops, from mentors and trusted colleagues, or with the help of the human resources department – find a way to know how people see your leadership.  And don’t just do it once.  Figure out how to constantly assess.
2. Acknowledge your issues.  No one is perfect.  And no one expects you to be either.  But people do expect you to be honest.  So, following an assessment, share with your team, peers, boss or others (as appropriate) what you are doing to address your areas of opportunity.  I recently saw a great display of this out of one of my bosses – it was well delivered and as a result, well received.  This shows humility, which is a great tenet of servant leadership.
3. Follow through.  Develop a plan to change and then make sure that you do what you said you were going to do.  Make sure your actions match your words.  People WILL remember what you say.  If you need to modify or change your plan, then make sure you communicate that and set the proper expectations.

Here is the link to Michael Hyatt’s article:  Thirteen Ways to Frustrate Your Employees.  Make sure to check it out.  You will definitely find it valuable!  AND it will also give you a good chuckle!

If you find that you exhibit any of these behaviors, then it may be time for you to review steps 1-3 above and do something about it!

Question:  What other bad boss behaviors have you seen or experienced?  Comment below.

Enjoy!

~Jason