9 Bad Boss Types
February 08, 2010
This is a guest post from Pastor Ron Edmondson. He blogs regularly on leadership and the Church at RonEdmondson.com. Check it out!
I was reflecting recently on bad bosses I have either had personally or that were in an organization in which I worked. Sadly in years past I may have played some of these roles as a boss. See if you identify with any of these:
The Bully Boss: This boss beats production out of employees. Employees feel intimidated, which causes them to perform at less than capable performance levels.
The Passive Boss: This boss refuses to lead employees, will not confront problems, and allows dissension among employees. Employees run the show and politics destroys progress.
The Fence Leaner Boss: This boss always sees the grass as greener in another position in the organization or in another organization. Employees feel abandoned without a voice in the organization and begin to look for their own greener grass.
The My Life Is A Mess Boss: This boss has a messed-up personal life and brings it into the office. Employees are caught in a sea of drama, which keeps the organization in turmoil.
The Too Good For You Boss. This boss is unapproachable and never invests in employees who therefore feel unappreciated.
The Scared of Competition Boss. This boss is afraid employees will outperform him or her and so employees are given few responsibilities and the boss micro-manages all work. The best employees feel underutilized and eventually leave the organization in search of more opportunities.
The Never Satisfied Boss: This boss is overly critical and hard to please. Employees wear out trying to make the boss happy and never feel a sense of accomplishment.
The Incompetent Boss: This boss hides behind his or her lack of qualification. Employees suffer personally from a boss who cannot lead them.
The Aimless Boss: This boss has no expectations for the organization. Goals and objectives are never obtained and employees are left without direction.
What’s crazy is that I learned valuable leadership principles from each of these bad bosses, if nothing more than what not to do as a boss.
Feel free to add number 10. Have you ever had a bad boss? (If one of my employees past or present decides to do this, please change the names to protect the guilty.) Have you been a bad boss?
