I once had a bad boss. Well, she was a good boss who turned bad. There were a number of personal and professional challenges that influenced her behavior, I guess. But the point is this caused those around her to feel like they were walking on pins and needles. It’s so easy to be a bad boss. You just have to allow the demands of day-to-day business to overwhelm you. You will then be so busy and pressed that you will have no time to consider the needs of the people who work for you. You will then create a breeding ground for discontent, frustration, and de-motivation that could lead to low productivity and high turnover. By now you are getting the picture that being a bad boss comes with a high price. It is in the best interest of business leaders to put effort into being a good boss. In this post, I share with you some ways to avoid falling into the bass boss syndrome.
Develop Some Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize one’s own and other person’s emotions in a way that you can empathize and therefore respond to them in appropriate ways. Emotional intelligent persons understand their own triggers and therefore are better able to control the way they react to stressful or disturbing situations. One definition from Psychology Today explains it as the ability to manage your own emotions and those of others. To be a leader of people, one who supervises and directs the work of others, you need to be able to handle your emotions. This is not the same thing as concealing your emotions. As a human, you are free to display the range of emotions that all humans experience, but being aware of how your emotions affect others and making the effort to ensure that it is a positive and uplifting effect is very important. Similarly when you are aware of the emotions of others, how they respond to stress, for example, you are better able to plan how your interactions, especially in adverse circumstances will affect them. You are also better able to shape the impact your behavior, in the business setting, will have on those who work with you.
Do Not Practice Favoritism
There are some persons we work with who just make our day so much easier. They have awesome personalities, are outgoing and easy to communicate with. These are the ones we tend to be more easily drawn to. But as a boss, you must be careful not to overlook others, who are not in your inner circle. Their personalities may take more effort to manage. All of the people that you manage should have opportunities to interact and learn from you. Be aware of how your interactions appear to others. Do everything in your power to avoid the appearance that you prefer some of your team members over others. There will be those who are introverted, and who do not integrate as easily. Have a plan for how you are going to get them more involved in the work group. This might mean taking that extra step to learn what are their interests, their strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. Then use this knowledge to get them more active within your team.into group interactions. Be aware of how you respond to special needs and requests of individual team members. If you extend certain privileges to one person consider how you can do something similar for the others. All the needs of your employees will not be exactly the same, but it is in your best interest to be aware of the needs of your team and to figure out how you can support each team member similarly, although not in the same exact way.
Have a Heart
As manager of people, it is easy to be constantly focused on business objectives that can be measured in dollars and cents. Sometimes we forget the value of embracing behaviors that make sense even if it appears not to be making dollars and cents. A bad boss focuses exclusively on the bottom line at the expense of building relationships, trust and a spirit of caring that can nurture team success. A boss with a heart knows when to be flexible; she knows when her team member needs a break. She knows that they have a life other than the one they live from nine to five. She knows that this other part of their life is also demanding and full of challenges. A bad boss ignores this reality. But a good boss is ready to make allowances so that the team member can address the issue in the other areas of life. This gives them a chance to find the balance they need. It helps them refocus and give their best effort to the requirements at work. Having a good heart means showing empathy, concern and giving an outstretched hand when team members need to be supported in difficult times.
Improve Communication Techniques
Good communication boosts the boss’ ability to develop stronger relationships with the people they lead. It is a great tool to build trust and respect. On the other hand, poor communication would be a characteristic that places a boss in our bad boss category. Communication is very broad. It refers, not only to how we speak to one another but also the methods we use and how sensitive we are to the way in which we deliver the message. Here are some examples of poor communication that would classify you as a bad boss:
- Not sharing information in a timely manner
- Passing on general information to some while leaving others in the dark
- Not having an organized way to share information with all team members
- Using one means of communication and ignoring others – this does not give consideration to the varying communication preferences of your workgroup
An important part of communication is giving and receiving feedback. It also involves creating an environment where feedback is given readily. Make sure that the feedback includes equal doses of compliments for achievements and suggestions for improvements. Do not use feedback only to highlight shortcomings. See it also as a channel for team members to communicate with you.
Conclusion
So if you want the best results out of your employees stay away from the dark side of workplace behavior that includes such things as belittling and being inconsiderate. Kevin Sheridan, author, speaker, and consultant adds to this list of dark side behaviors in his article 19 Ways to be a Bad Boss. Research shows strong bonds can help work teams survive and thrive in crisis situations. When the work environment is under stress, it is the bond between team members that will help to generate motivation, stick-to-it-iveness and teamwork. This will help them stay focused and push through challenges to achieve goals and objectives. Your main focus as a boss should not be to keep your employees in line and to watch over them like a drill sergeant. Instead create ways to build trust, a feeling of belonging and an atmosphere of caring. You can achieve this by demonstrating emotional intelligence, avoiding favoritism, showing empathy, and communicating effectively. If you hire and supervise employees, it is in your best interest to avoid the traits and behaviors of a bad boss. Strive to adopt behaviors that will make you stand out as a good boss. When you avoid bad boss tactics , everybody wins. It will contribute greatly to creating a work environment where employees are engaged and motivated to work towards those business goals. This is critical to making you an effective boss.