How To Know If You're A Bad Boss

How To Know If You're A Bad Boss
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

2016-03-20-1458496170-7370330-Officework11.jpg

We've all worked for bad bosses at some stage of our careers; I know that I have, and I remember the detrimental impact that it had on my enthusiasm, productivity and desire actually to go into work.

So it came as a shock to me when one day one my boss said to me, that on of my staff had come to him to complain about how I managed them.

Now as it turned out, this was just a misunderstanding, but it got me to thinking, how would I know if was a good boss or a bad boss, because people don't usually tell you when you're doing a bad job.

We can't wait until people start to leave to realise that we are a bad boss and need to change our leadership approach.

Here are nine signs that your team don't like your leadership style and are on the lookout for new opportunities.

Your team never comes to you to ask for help.
It's easy to assume that your team are self-sufficient, and that's why they don't come and ask for assistance, believing that you have done a great job in building and developing your team. However, I can confirm that more often than not when I stopped asking my boss for help, it was because they never provided any.

You don't get invited to meetings
One less meeting to attend sounds like a great result, but you need to understand why they don't want you there. It's probably not because they want to keep your calendar clear, it's more likely because you dominate the meeting and are adding little to no value, or even worse because your presence is demotivating.

You don't get any friend requests on Facebook, Instagram or other social media platforms.
In today's world, everyone wants to be connected, and especially to their boss, so if you're not getting any friend requests then this a red flag. They are not respecting your space or privacy; they don't want to be connected to you or be seen to be connected to you.

Volunteers are in short supply.
People are always keen to make a good impression on their boss, and opportunities to volunteer and score some extra brownie points are usually sought after. But if you struggle to get people stepping forward, this might be because you've created a blame culture, and people are more afraid of failing than they are excited about impressing you.

Too many open jobs vacancies
Our reputations, especially if we are a bad boss, spread very quickly and nobody wants to work for a bad boss, so if you have a lot of open positions, or too few job applicants, this is a sign that people don't want to work for you. Also, if the only applicants for a position are all from outside the company, that's a hint at your reputation within your company. Everyone wants to work for a good boss, and will often take any job to get on their teams, so if you have good opportunities available that people are rejecting you

Higher than average sick days
There are two reasons why people may be taking more sick days than normal, either they are looking to avoid coming into work, or they are out interviewing for new opportunities, neither of which should make us feel like we are doing a good job.

You are surrounded by yes people.
Nobody ever gets it 100% right all the time and it's normal for teams to question or challenge the leadership, in fact, it's a sign of a safe, healthy environment. So if you're team is constantly agreeing with you, no it doesn't mean you're a genius, it more likely that they are afraid to disagree or don't care.

Your team doesn't achieve the results it should
Good leadership inspires teams, and inspired teams achieve great results, so if the team is underperforming that's down to you.

The last sign is if your team are underperforming and you believe it's because of them, then you are a bad manager. Good managers give credit when things are going well and take the blame when things go badly; they also understand their role in the success of the team. So if your first thought is any failure to achieve is because of them then you have a blame mentality which is a key characteristic of bad bosses.

Good bosses create teams that people want to work for, they create a fun environment and inspire their teams to achieve great results.

If you're experiencing any of the nine signs mentioned above it's time to change your approach. Being a good boss is a choice and it's one that your team will appreciate.

Close

What's Hot