DO'S & DONT'S FOR MANAGERS

A few years ago, I interviewed a candidate for a high-level IT management position. He was knowledgeable, motivated, engaging, personable, and showed all the traits that, in our eyes, we felt would lead to success for that position. So, we hired him.

The first week into the job, I decided to drop by his office and say hello. He was on the phone with a vendor, and in the few minutes of listening to his interaction, I saw a totally different person than the one we had hired. He was crass, aggressive, short-tempered, and unprofessional. It was like a Jekyll-and-Hyde experience.

He managed to survive in his role but to the expense of his subordinates. After a while, his department had a revolving door.  But he's not alone. Over the years, I have observed some pretty ugly and counter-productive behaviors in middle and upper management.

Here are the most typical traits that I have recognized as "bad boss" behaviors. Do you find some of them in your own companies?

1. The World Revolves Around Me Syndrome

Forget the mission, or aligning team goals to organizational objectives. It's about "what have you done for me lately" and getting that performance bonus. This manager is playing for the name on the back of the jersey, and is only concerned about how he looks to his superiors. It's about individual performance than anything else.

2. Stealing the Spotlight

The team puts out a wonderful product and rolls it out on time. The client is giddy with joy about how much money and time the new system will save. And then it happens: the manager takes all the credit. No praising the team, no celebration for success, no recognition of team members for their contribution, nothing at all that speaks of how much the team is valued. This type of manager will steal the light and thunder away from the team without any acknowledgement. Not cool.

3. Triangulating

Picture a sensitive situation where a manager will not communicate directly with a subordinate or peer, but will gladly reach out to communicate with a third person, which can lead to this person (who may not even be involved in the situation) becoming part of the problem. Sometimes this manager will even play the two people against each other. Welcome to triangulating. This is one of those typical dysfunctional patterns in managers who don't have the courage to deal directly with the issue by communicating authentically to diffuse the situation.

4. No self-awareness

Ever worked for a manager who doesn't see the elephant in the room? What seems so obvious to others about her behavior -- bullying, withdrawing, stonewalling, passive-aggressiveness, etc. -- and how it affects team members, she misses. Even if it's pointed out to her by H.R, or her boss, you won't see her correcting the damage done by apologizing or trying to make things right. She's just not aware of the destruction she's creating on her war path.

5. Never Wrong

Ever work with a manager that is always right, and you're always wrong? This manager has a hard time taking blame or ownership for things and will never admit to making a mistake. They are more concerned with preserving their reputation and saving face. 

6. Doesn't Communicate Well

This manager, for whatever reason, will withhold information, or not tell you the full story. He doesn't say what he means, or means what he says, so people don't know where they stand. Clear communication is rare, and often results in saying one thing on Monday, and changing direction by Wednesday, often without telling the team. Have your magic decoder ring handy, you'll need it with this manager.

7. Likes Control

This manager micro-manages to the last detail. It's overbearing and stifling because he wants control over decisions, and doesn't trust the team to delegate away some of his power. There's no room for group discussion or input, because the leadership style is autocratic. Creativity or learning something new under this dictatorship is often missing. Just take your marching orders and report back.

8. The Invisible Manager

This manager is missing in action, or if he's actually around, he's in his cave (a.k.a., his office) with the door shut. He avoids personal interaction, especially when things are going south. When you need his input on direction, he seems to conveniently schedule meetings around the most crucial times. He will manage by e-mail and text, and avoid face-to-face communication for the fear of facing undesired conflict (which, if he only knew better and faced it with courage, would eliminate most of it!). He's only interested in good news because he's not able to handle anything more. Got a problem? Talk to someone else.

9. Plays the Blame Game

The first thing you'll notice is the blame-game. But you know the saying, "For every finger you point, there's three pointing back at you." This issue is directly related to a lack of personal accountability, which is often a character issue. In which case, one must ask and confront the powers that be: How did this person get promoted into management in the first place? 

10. Manages Like a Dictator

The feeling of watching your back (for your manager's whereabouts) is never a pleasant one. It means you either fear or loathe your manager and facing him during the day probably means bad news because the exchange is never positive. This type of manager will create a culture of distrust where it's not safe to disclose information, or work in close collaboration. Much like #7 above, job survival here is day-to-day due to the unpredictability of the environment you're in. Everybody is on their own. So who can you trust? In a volatile and politically charged work space under a dictatorship, trusting your peers is risky -- they may really be your enemies; trusting your manager is just corporate suicide.  Consider updating your resume.

Credits: Marcel Schwantes