Are you in a struggle to get your job done and being held back by a manager who just doesn’t GET what you do or why you do it?
They might be displaying some of these bad management traits (I gleaned this list from Goldsmith’s “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There”:
1. Winning too much-the need to win at all costs
2. Adding too much value aka having to put in your two cents even when it’s not needed.
3. Passing judgment
4. Making destructive comments-needless sarcasms and cutting remarks
5. Starting with No, But, However
6. Telling the world how smart we are
7. Speaking when angry-using emotional volatility as a management tool.
8. Negativity -let me explain why that won’t work
9. Withholding information-Refusing to share info in order to maintain an advantage over others.
10. Failing to give proper recognition-inability to praise or reward
11. Claiming credit that we don’t deserve
12. Making Excuses
13. Clinging to the past
14. Playing favorites
15. Refusing to express regret
16. Not listening
17. Failing to express gratitude
18. Punishing the messenger
19. Passing the buck
20. Excessive need to be “me”
What can you DO about these?
Luckily, I’ve already written about what to do about a lot of these issues.
What you don’t know CAN hurt you: Tackling Institutional Oppression in your workplace
Fire the Assholes and the Company culture will Change
Managing and Motivating Others, what you need to know
18 ways to demand dignity at work
Are you attacked for your fashion?
How can you recover from a toxic workplace?
How to respond when a manager yells at you in front of staff
Bullying Bosses can cause employee suicide
How do I know so much about this? Well, surprise surprise, I’ve had a bad boss or two in my time. And eventually they did get caught and resigned. Proof? Certainly.
Well, if you are the boss, stop being prejudiced against your employees. Your employees are still free agents. Don’t make these mistakes.
1. I know what they want.
Uh, No, you don’t.
2. I know what they know.
Nope. You don’t.
3. I hate their selfishness.
You should care if we’re happy at work. Money is not enough.
4. I can always get someone else.
No, you can’t. In the past, the key to wealth was land. Today, the key to wealth is knowledge. The company needs knowledge workers far more than the workers need them. It’s more a strategic alliance than an employment contract.
If you want more knowledge, check out Marshall Goldsmith’s What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. Hyperion Books, New York, NY, 2007.