Do employees sing your praises when you walk away? Or curse your name?
Do they feel lifted up after a conversation with you? Or beaten down?
Do they look forward to what’s next? Or dread your entrance?
If you don’t know the answer to those questions — or have some doubts — you better read on. There’s a chance you think you’re the world’s best boss, but employees think you’re a bad boss. You might be exhibiting some bad boss behaviors — and want to change course before employees curse or dread you.
Could You Be a Bad Boss?
“Unfortunately, for many leaders, as we move up the corporate ladder, the tugs on our time grow more urgent. You may be thinking, I don’t have time to engage with so many people,” says executive communications expert David Schreiner. “Well, you don’t have time not to engage with the people that matter to you the most.”
Bottom line: Good bosses often become bad bosses as they move up the ladder and become more disconnected from their people. And the higher they go, the less likely employees and colleagues will give constructive feedback on what’s wrong.
So what do they do instead? They likely badmouth and gossip behind the boss’s back.
That’s why it’s important to know the signs of a bad boss — and avoid those behaviors. Here are the signs:
1. Hovering
Bad bosses send emails that start with, “Just checking in on …” Or they start casual conversations with, “Hey, how’s it going with …” They even stop by employees’ workspaces without warning just to see what they’re working on.
What it comes down to is, they hover. They keep a close eye on what their people do and how they do it.
Instead: Take the lead by assigning work that employees are qualified to do. Set a pace for them to check in with you. Then step aside and course correct, if necessary, when it’s time to check in. If they need additional help, offer an open door.
2. Disappearing
Bad bosses don’t answer email in a timely way. They keep their doors closed when in the office. They ignore Slack or Teams messages. They take long lunches, walks, meetings, calls — pretty much anything that keeps them out of touch with the people who might need them.
Bad bosses simply disappear. They don’t give feedback. They aren’t available when employees need them. And when it’s time to answer to their bosses, they often hide their negligence with inflated versions of their management style.
Instead: Establish a regular cadence of meetings for feedback and direction with each employee. Schedule a time each day that employees can come to you. Make sure to share the times you will respond to messages every day.
3. Withholding
Bad bosses tell employees everything is OK when it’s not. They hold on to helpful information to maintain authority. They don’t share personal stories or information
These leaders withhold in lots of ways. They don’t give necessary negative feedback. They horde information or resources for their benefit. They’re socially distant.
Instead: First, give concrete, clear and kind feedback paired with opportunities to show improvement. Never withhold information or resources that can help employees succeed — their success is yours, too. And share a little about yourself. Employees want bosses who are as human as them.
4. Toxicity
Bad bosses are part of the hierarchy and openly condemn the hierarchy. Their kindness is limited and their patience is even shorter. Their moods swing and they scream at, ignore or bully people.
Truth is, bad bosses are jerks. There’s no way around it. Employees don’t want to work for — or with — mean, conniving, disrespectful people.
Instead: Check your attitude at the door. If you can’t temper your emotions, it might be time to consider a different career path.
5. Confining
Some poor leaders hold their people down, failing to give them opportunities to grow, be seen or heard. They fail to give them credit for team successes, instead highlighting what they did. They don’t praise their employees’ work to the degree it deserves.
Bad bosses keep a thumb down on their employees. They don’t want employees to move up or on. They want to control everyone’s future.
Instead: The best bosses lift up employees and push them toward success. Help your people shine by offering them opportunities to increase skills, take new paths and try work that challenges them in positive ways.
6. Busyness
Some bosses work all the time — and they expect employees to do the same. They send messages after hours and expect responses. They interrupt. They’re in motion and want to see their employees in motion. If they’re not, the boss makes passive-aggressive remarks about ambition.
Bad bosses believe busyness is next to godliness. They don’t look at results. They look at hours.
Instead: Give it up. In many jobs, technology, the ability to work from almost anywhere and collaboration make work easier. Reward people for what you expect them to accomplish, not the time you think it should take them to do it.
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