Are you a bad boss? We don’t mean to alarm you but if you identify with any of these eight facts, you could be.
I’m sure most bosses want to do a good job, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions, as they say.
Do you think you’re a bad boss? Be honest with yourself. It could be that you have some habits you would like to correct. Maybe you do things with the best of intentions but don’t actually realise the potentially negative impact.
Whatever the case, it may be a helpful exercise to meditate on some of the things bosses do (or don’t do) that can potentially lead a team downhill.
Are the expectations you set upon your employees realistic, for example? If you’re pushing your workers past what they could be reasonably expected to be capable of, you may be inadvertently causing a lot of stress. Assess the weekly requirements for your workers and see whether you can adjust targets. It may mean giving your team members less work, but they’ll likely end up being more productive if they’re less stressed. It sets off a positive, self-propagating cycle.
Unfortunately, much of the issues that arise in the workplace often revolve around ineffective communication. You may appreciate your employees, but have you told them that you recognise the hard work they put in? Have you given them meaningful and constructive feedback lately?
Doing these things may seem small, but they could make a huge difference to employee satisfaction. You might very well care about the employees under your charge but if they don’t know that, resentment may begin to brew.
As Harvard Business Review explains: “Recognition isn’t just about implementing employee programmes to check them off a list; it’s about bringing out the best in people and improving your company’s bottom line.”
You need to treat your employees like people, not like they’re resources. Employees can sense when it’s the former and thus, as one might expect, respond unfavourably.
How about you? How engaged are you at work, honestly? It’s not necessarily your fault if you’re struggling to connect with your work, but you also may need to consider that this behaviour could be impacting your ability to be a good boss.
For more information on the things that can make you a bad boss, check out the infographic below, brought to you by Officevibe.
Infographic: Officevibe
Want stories like this and more direct to your inbox? Sign up for Tech Trends, Silicon Republic’s weekly digest of need-to-know tech news.
