What I’ve Learned About Leadership From Bad Bosses

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We’ve all had them. Bosses that not only fail to empower or inspire us, but actually make us dread going to work each day. Their positional authority has inspired volumes of writing on what it means to be a leader. After all, a person doesn’t need to be a great leader to receive a promotion; usually they performed very well in their subordinate positions and were rewarded with a higher position. However, just being great in one position doesn’t mean they’ll be great leaders.

I’ve had mostly good experiences with my superiors throughout my career and those people taught me a great deal about leadership. But, the few bad experiences helped reinforce those ideas. They taught me that there are bad ways of leading; that despite that fact that I’ve always had an interest in my positions, I could still feel completely passionless about them. I’m certain that this discouraging mindset resulted in not just decreased productivity for the companies, but higher stress levels and less happiness for my colleagues and me. With that in mind, here’s a few things that I’ve learned; things that I will avoid as I lead others.

1. A little appreciation goes a long way. This is perhaps one of the smallest things a leader can do, yet it persists as one of the most meaningful. Study after study indicate that more people leave jobs because they feel unappreciated than they do for any other reason, including money. Sincere appreciation validates all the effort and hard work a person has put in. Saying “thank you for…” is such a simple thing.

 

• Focusing on tasks and tasks alone is uninspiring – give me a “why.” In order to cultivate a spirit of shared purpose, people need to know what that purpose is. Bosses who focus people’s attention on the small picture create a culture of dis-empowerment. It conveys to people that they aren’t important enough to know bigger organizational goals. The problem is, without that big picture perspective, the small tasks seem meaningless.

 

• Actions speak louder than words. John C. Maxwell calls this the “Law of the Picture.” People do what people see. Bad bosses tell their people to perform one way, while giving themselves leeway to do the opposite. For example, they’ll demand cost cuts from subordinates while remodeling their office. The double standard creates distance between the boss and the employee and subsequently destroys any connection and undermines the boss’s credibility.

 

• Bad bosses take more credit than they deserve and give less credit than is due. Therefore, they don’t get the most out of employees. Who wants to bring good ideas when the boss is going to take credit? Conversely, a boss who shifts attention from herself to her staff, empowers people and encourages dialogue. In turn, a culture of innovation is cultivated.

 

• Micromanaging encourages turnover. Nobody wants to work for somebody who doesn’t trust them to do the smallest tasks. It’s discouraging for people. Bad bosses sometimes insert themselves into tasks that are better left to the individual members of their teams. Good bosses hire good people and empower them to do great work, to develop themselves and to be creative in their positions.

For leaders and aspiring leaders, it’s important to take note of what works as well as what doesn’t. If you want to motivate, inspire and encourage people to do more you must defiantly avoid the types of actions that bring the opposite result. Give appreciation to people. Give them a purpose, lead them by example, give them credit and empower them to do more.