Q: Have you ever worked for a boss who made you question your intelligence or who created a stressful workenvironment?

I used to work for a boss who committed the sin of ‘micromanagement’.

Every day, I had to take all of my work, go to the ladies room and sit on a tiny couch – just to be able to concentrate and complete my assigned tasks. Believe it or not, one day he actually followed me into the ladies room.

That’s the day I turned in my resignation – without having another job!

Q: Have you ever worked for someone who had a team of smart people all around but somehow, the business problems never got solved?

One of my clients, a valued member of management in a major company, once described his boss: “he treats his management team like ‘cake’ – he keeps adding more and more layers to our jobs! But he doesn’t really listen to us so the problems continue to go unresolved”.

Liz Wiseman, author of Multipliers – How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter has observed that when promoted into management, some new managers never look beyond “their own genius”. Inevitably, “they never see the genius around them”.

For subordinates, this lack of acknowledgement of their talents and contributions, leads to the feelings of being “overworked and simultaneously underutilized”. Her research also indicates that there is “latent intelligence in organizations” that never gets engaged.

These bosses are called “Diminishers”.

Q: Have you ever worked for someone who made you smarter and more capable? Think about a leader who made you feel brilliant!

I can count four or five leaders from my past employers, for whom I would have walked across a chasm on a foot-wide board (BTW, I am afraid of heights). I felt not only alive; but also, strong, confident and more importantly – competent.

These leaders are called “Multipliers”.

Questions for you to consider:

- Are you a boss or a leader?
- If I were to ask your subordinates – if you are a boss or a leader – what would they answer? If you are concerned about their answer, contact me at: cglasco@charter.net

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