Bad managers I have known
I have been very fortunate in having had some excellent managers over the years.
But in this article, I would like to reflect on some of the not-so-great managers I have encountered. See if any of them are familiar to you.
I have alternated the genders in the following examples, but feel free to change as needed.
Firstly, there is Mr Busy who is basically too busy to touch base with his staff, leaving them feeling unsupported and unappreciated. While Mr Busy gives a great impression of getting things done, unfortunately, he neglects the most important part of his role – taking good care of his staff. Mr Busy is also good at working very long hours, creating an expectation that everyone else should do the same.
You might also know Ms Perfect, who is very good at finding fault in almost everyone, except herself. Unfortunately, she has the worst fault any of us can have – pretending that she doesn’t have any. This characteristic is also very effective in alienating her from those staff who are not her favourites. The morale and performance of non-favoured staff steadily decreases, thus giving her more opportunity to highlight their inadequacies and her frustration of having to put up with these individuals. Ms Perfect often has no idea as to how she is coming across. If she does, she simply feels she is entitled to do so.
You probably have encountered Mr I'm the Boss who likes to remind people that he is in charge. Mr I'm the Boss loves to tell people how to do the details of their work, imposing his opinion on others, and generally being unapproachable. There is only one way to see things and that is his way. His staff tend to feel frustrated, not heard, and are unlikely to raise any concerns directly with him, often causing small frustrations to grow into major concerns.
Almost the opposite is Ms Wishy Washy, who doesn’t set any clear direction and is indecisive. Sadly, if she does give a clear direction, this only lasts until the next person speaks to her. Her team feel frustrated by the uncertainty, unchallenged, and unsupported when the going gets tough. Ms Wishy Washy can be supportive with her words, but not so good with her actions.
Then there is Mr Let’s Not Rock the Boat who is unwilling to take any tough decisions in case this has repercussions for him. He will be likely to tolerate an extremely problematic team member even though this person has a very long history of problem behaviour and many team leaders have done their best to turn this person around. There is a time for decisive action, but you will not get it from Mr Let’s Not Rock the Boat who will give it some thought or suggest you try what has been tried before.
Do any of these sound familiar? Of course the above are all stereotypes and there are no perfect managers. Some of these descriptions also fit some team members as well. But I wonder how your colleagues would describe you? If they have a negative stereotype of you which you would like to change, you will need to do the complete opposite of what they expect for a significant period of time.
What we do tend to appreciate in a manager is the opposite of all of these types. Great managers tend to be someone who is strong, who sets a clear direction, communicates clear expectations, can give balanced feedback, and can make and stand by their decisions. But they also are approachable, open to feedback,, supportive, flexible, and they genuinely care for their staff.
I call him Mr Strong, But Supportive!
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Ken Warren BA, M Soc Sc, CSP is an expert on People Management Skills and Human Behaviour. With his engaging, interactive and positive presentations, Ken has shown thousands how to improve team performance, provide great customer service, and enhance staff resiliency. Check out all his FREE resources at www.positivepeoplesolutions.com.au
