When I ask managers to describe the best boss they ever worked for, I often hear stories of inspirational leaders, demanding mentors and creative coaches. But it’s not uncommon for people to tell me they recall more bad bosses than great ones.
We can learn a lot about leadership from problem bosses — mostly about what NOT to do and why. But it’s important to distinguish flawed bosses from the truly bad.
Remember that on any given day, managers disappoint people. They say “no” to requests or resources. They change priorities. They criticize people or product. And some do it in ways that are neither timely nor tactful.
But even if their management style differs greatly from yours, they don’t necessarily qualify as truly bad bosses. They may have other qualities you’ve yet to recognize. I experienced just such a situation in my career and made it my responsibility to build bridges to that boss. He and I became partners in leadership and remain friends to this day.
What, then, constitutes a truly bad boss? I think Barbara Kellerman’s book, “Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters” offers the best breakdown. She lists seven types of bad leadership. The worst bosses may fit into multiple groups:
- Incompetent: Lacking the skill or will to sustain effective action
- Rigid: Unyielding in opposition to positive change
- Intemperate: Lacking in self-control
- Callous: Uncaring or unkind to others
- Corrupt: Lying, cheating or stealing
- Insular: Minimizing or disregarding the welfare of those outside their circle
- Evil: Using pain as a instrument of power and dominance
How do such people stay in power? They may own the business, bamboozle their bosses or blind them with great short-term results. But Kellerman says there’s another troubling reason why truly bad bosses survive. They get help from followers — those who seek to reap benefits by sucking up (my words, not hers) or those who do nothing to oppose or expose them.
If you believe you work for a truly bad boss, here are some survival tips:
Emotional intelligence helps you identify “hot button” situations and language that trigger bad boss behaviors. You learn to frame issues in ways that produce the most successful outcomes for you. You don’t just vent or gossip among co-workers, you build strategic alliances. Together you manage that boss and serve as safety nets for each other.
- Don’t jump ship just because you are angry or hurt.
- Make certain you aren’t part of the problem.
- Exhaust every option for improving the situation.
- Determine whether the challenge is to your personal preferences or your core values.
If your core values are being violated and you see no recourse, then plan your exit strategy. Do it with the help of allies and mentors who guide you, other bosses who will provide good references, and preferably with another job lined up before you jump ship.
But there’s another option.
Eliminate. Sooner or later, truly bad bosses face a day of reckoning. There are a variety of ways employees expedite it:
- Keeping meticulous records related to problems.
- Employing skillful and careful guerilla tactics — like doing exactly what bosses ask, even when the request is a mistake, so the error blows back on them.
- Finding safe opportunities to expose the boss’s wrongdoing to HR or upper management, especially the unethical, illegal or violations of company policy.
- Getting an attorney or union representative to advocate on your behalf.
- Providing detailed information in a company exit interview if you leave.
Working to eliminate a boss can be risky but righteous business. The better your track record in the organization, the more credible you will be. If you do this as a coalition, make certain your align yourself with high performers, so your motives are clearly above reproach. Don’t break any rules or laws related to the acquisition or dissemination of proprietary information, surreptitious recording, or trespassing. You don’t want to succeed in ousting the boss but lose your job in the process.
I hope you never have to deal with a truly bad boss. I hope this column encourages great bosses to talk about the subject in their workplace. In my podcast, I’ll share one more strategy — exploit. Yes, when your boss is truly bad, it’s an opportunity for good employees to exploit. Tune in and I’ll tell you what I mean and how to do it:
Poynter’s “What Great Bosses Know” podcast is sponsored by The City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. You can download a complete series of these podcasts free on iTunesU. Poynter’s leadership and management expert Jill Geisler shares practical information on leadership and management that’s valuable for bosses in newsrooms and all walks of life.
