Bad bosses come in all shapes and sizes but a common trait they often share is the inability to recognise their bad habits. So whether your style is more Miranda Priestly, (treat ’em mean) or David Brent, (chilled out entertainer), these are the signs that you’re a bad boss.
You take credit where it’s not due
There’s no I in team but there’s two in credit thief. You like to hog the glory of your team’s successes but distance yourself from any failures. A leader who plays the blame game is no leader at all and thus our first mark of a poor manager.
You put your employees down publicly
We’re all capable of losing our temper every now and then but flying off the handle seems to be your go-to response. Your team are slow to come to you for advice, feedback or support and you don’t hold back on abusing them publicly. Rather than offering constructive feedback in a private setting, you name and shame your team for everyone to see and hear.
You’re secretive
Being open and transparent is not high on your priority list. You like to hold information hostage and drip feed it to the chosen few. Your team often hear information from other departments before they hear it from you and there’s an air of confusion when it comes to new developments in the business.
You’re never wrong
It takes a big person to admit their mistakes but you wouldn’t know about that because you never make any. Logic is no match for your strong opinion and steely determination.
You micromanage
Relinquishing control is not in your nature, in fact you see it as a weakness. Instead of delegating effectively, you prefer to monitor each work stream through a microscope and end up delaying things in the process. Then, when projects are inevitably pushed back, you chalk it up to the poor performance of your underlings.
You hold grudges
You do not like to be showed up and if you feel like your employees have somehow undermined you, you will be quick to punish them when it comes to dividing up tasks or setting overtime. That’ll learn ’em!
You don’t like to hire above your skill set
While you should be building out your team with candidates of the highest possible calibre, you prefer to hire people with inferior experience or qualifications to your own. This way you don’t have to worry about being outshone by your subordinates.
You play favourites
Another key characteristic of a bad boss is letting your personal feelings cloud your professional decisions. You reward your team based on personality and likeability rather than performance or merit.