Posted by denised in 
Yesterday I talked about bosses who were clueless about how bad they are. Today I thought it would be fitting to list five signs to help those bosses understand that I was talking about them…
- You’re ignoring the facts – In the case of my former HR Manager, a 50% turnover rate in an office with less than 20 employees would have probably been a clear indicator to anyone paying attention that things were awry. When you’re not working in the hospitality industry, which is notorious for high turnover, but you’ve consistently got double digit turnover, you’ve got a real problem. Something is being lost in the message. Either new hires are unclear about what to expect or what’s expected of them, or they’re being dishonest in their interviews about their inabilities. Either way, that’s the responsibility of a good HR manager to catch. But in our case, our HR manager was too busy making excuses about the turnover rate to have a honest conversation with herself. It also didn’t help that upper management didn’t step in until things were basically in the toilet. Bad bosses are notorious for being able to pull the wool over people’s eyes, especially their own.
- Your staff isn’t making deadlines or meeting goals – As a leader, your staff takes on your qualities – good and bad. If you’re unclear about goals, deadlines and the way you want things done, then so are your employees. I once worked with a great guy whose direct reports were always hustling at the last minute to complete even the simplest projects. The problem was he was a nice guy, but a bad boss. His own lack of organizational skills and focus impacted his team negatively, and as a consequence their days were largely spent in panic mode.
- You outwardly defy the very rules you insist your staff abide by – You hammer home the importance of punctuality to your employees, but are late to every meeting, function and event. You site the importance of customer service, yet can be heard bad mouthing customers and employees alike. Your employees will never say anything to your face, but believe me, they’re talking about you behind your back, and it diminishes your authority in their eyes.
- Waffle House has nothing on you – If your mission, goals, and plan of attack change with the wind, then you’re probably a bad boss. Prolonged uncertainty breeds doubt, hesitation and ultimately failure, particularly when it comes from a boss. If you’re unsure about what to do, your entire staff will be too. Changing strategy on a monthly basis shouts “I have no clue what I’m doing!” Nothing lowers confidence in management faster than waffling.
- Openly showing favoritism – Probably every boss has his or her favorites, and there’s nothing wrong with rewarding top performers. Bosses get into trouble and wander into bad boss territory when they begin showing favoritism towards employees who don’t measure up in any category other than kissing up. Nothing demeans the hard work and efforts of a team than when the boss starts playing favorites with the one person, or people, who aren’t pulling their load.
There are dozens of signs you’re a bad boss, including the deadly trinity of bullying, harassment and lying. What get’s some bosses in trouble is believing that because they’re not involved in the deadly trinity that they’re doing just fine. If your boss is engaging in any of the above behavior, or you’re involved in any of it yourself, then be forewarned, you’re probably in the midst of an unsuspecting bad boss.
If you’ve experienced any of the above bad boss behaviors, we’d love to hear your story. Share your thoughts in the comment section or email them to denised@reallybadboss.com.
