Do you wish your boss would never get off the elevator in the morning? Or do you value your boss's input? A good boss coaches, counsels, promotes, and encourages superior performance. On the other hand, a bad boss does just the opposite. Yet it seems that many individuals who have no business managing people end up being awarded the leader's torch!
The bad boss disease is widely spread. In July 2006, a Gallup poll of 1 million workers found that a bad relationship with the boss was the No. 1 reason for quitting a job. Collectively, they cause their respective organizations to lose money every year. Yet some of them remain in their positions for years. One must ask, WHY? What is painfully obvious to all the employees never seems to reach the executive suite. Over and over, companies support the behavior of a bad boss.
What most people do not recognize is that these bad bosses are usually big bullies. They bullied their way to the top and they keep themselves at the top with the same type of behavior. These people destroy careers, intimidate employees and have been known to force good employees to leave the organization. In addition, they set up golden parachutes for themselves. Most of the time, their behavior is on the verge of illegal and more often than not, is definitely unethical. It seems that these people never get caught.
In the past few years, we have seen leaders of large organizations get the "go directly to jail card for illegal behavior. However, sending these people away does not even begin to eradicate the bosses who everyday cause millions of good people to develop ulcers and in some severe cases, have heart attacks.
How do you know if you have a bully for a boss? Bullies frequently do the following:
Consistently interrupt others in the middle of a sentence
Consistently talks about his or her attributes and accomplishments
Frowns when another person is talking to give everyone else in the room the impression that the speaker is crazy
Constantly tries to dominate conversations
Hands out assignments that must be done two hours before employees are leaving in vacation
Professes to know everything about every job, but in reality could not perform any of the jobs even if his or her life depended on it
Chooses favorites, and functions as the catalyst for people to continually disagree and argue
Acts like the busiest person in the company when in reality no one can even define what he or she accomplishes
Frequently is condescending, abusive, and intimidating toward employees
Fails to accept responsibility for his or her actions or the actions of subordinates if it makes him or her look bad but will take all the credit for a job well done
By now you probably get the picture. There is one more thing. If all the employees celebrate when the boss goes on vacation, you work for a bully!
Research and best practice models indicate that employees do not leave companies: they leave bad bosses. The Good Boss Company, a consultant group, interviewed 1,000 employees and found that 58% of them looked for another job because they didn't like their boss.
What to do? If overthrowing the kingdom is not possible, leave as fast as you can. Your career will never flourish under this type of rule. Don't waste your time filling out employee opinion surveys and hoping things will get better. Launch a job search. Take your time and find the right position and boss this time.
