Eight toxic behaviors of bosses that can cause you to loose your best people.
You’ve spent time and money to recruit and train the best employees to grow your company. But if these employees are not allowed to use their abilities to do their job well, they will not stay. Here are eight things toxic bosses do causing employees to leave.
- Looking out for #1. Bosses who are about their own personal career goals will step on anyone who might jeopardize their plan. They eagerly take the recognition for others good ideas and work but take no responsibility for their own mistakes. You can spot them because they say all the right ‘buzz words’ about teamwork, authenticity, transparency, etc. but their actions do not follow their words.
- They are in over their head. Some call it the Peter Principle – being promoted to the level of incompetence. This boss leaves an emotional wake but is oblivious to what they have done. Worse yet, when it is pointed out to them, they refuse to accept help or assistance to fix the problem.
- The ‘perfect’ boss. It’s all about appearances for them. So the same problems keep recycling with new ones added but no one is to talk about them. Everyone is expected to make the boss look good even at their own expense. These bosses like to control every situation down to the last detail. They may ask for input but what they really want is only the input that agrees with their decision. No opposing suggestions are tolerated.
- They keep you guessing on what they mean. In reality, they hide from the full truth and have no intention of sharing information unless it benefits them. They say one thing one day and the opposite the next day. Anything to obscure what is really going on in the background or to cover their own incompetence.
- Uses triangulation and playing people against each other. The boss selects someone, a ‘mole’ to act as the messenger to communicate directly with another employee instead of talking to them directly. The ‘mole’ is rewarded greatly for the juicy information they gather. Sending a ‘mole’ allows people in conflict to avoid taking responsibility for their emotions and behavior. The ‘mole’ reports back to the boss, information that can be used against the person or to pit one person against another. As long as they avoid talking directly to each other, the conflict will not be resolved.
- The ‘catch 22’ of avoiding conflict. Got a problem, don’t come to me but don’t go to anyone else either especially human resources. If you embarrass the weak boss by going above their head for help, they take it personally. They see you as trying to make them look bad because they want to appear competent to superiors. Facing the issue with courage is what a competent boss does.
- Makes themselves unavailable. They may be in their office but they are ‘unavailable’. They set a meeting time and then break it. They do not have time to return phone calls or emails because they are ‘so busy’. The only news they want to hear is good news. Try putting good news in the subject line of an email and tell them something good. See how fast they respond!
- Creates a culture of distrust. Trusting anyone is risky. Blaming others is the norm. If they have to tell you to trust them, you can’t. Employees are on their own trying to do a job where the rules keep changing. The unpredictability of this toxic environment keeps employees off balance by trying to survive from day-to-day. They do not have time to notice what is really going. If they figure it out, they are forced out. Only people the boss can control are allowed to stay.
The question lingers, “how did this person get promoted in the first place?” Sometimes it’s a cultural issue where management wants to maintain control so they hire people they can control. They are insecure about their own abilities so they hire people who are ill equipped to do their jobs and do not train them. If this is the prevailing attitude, capable employees leave and skilled candidates are scared off.
This article was inspired by 10 Things Toxic Bosses Do That Scare Away Employees by Marcel Schwantes.
