A popular saying states, “Employees don’t quit their jobs; they quit their managers.” And it seems pretty true if you think about it, especially when bosses don’t lead.
A boss usually has a HUGE influence on your work, how you will feel at work, and your career path. Your relationship with them is so significant that you often also have to manage them to some degree to keep things going in your company.
We can’t claim that the saying (that people quit managers, not jobs) is always true: many factors impact employees’ happiness at work. But considering all things, you can’t ignore your boss’s impact on your work experience.
What are the consequences when bosses don't lead?
Are you working for an organization where a boss can’t or won’t lead? You don’t have the power to make changes and feel stuck. Still, you have ideas about how to contribute and make things happen.
Everything comes down to leadership. When there is no good leader to direct a team, a department, or an organization, the following scenarios are inevitable: delayed decisions, conflicts, low morale, reduced productivity, and success is difficult.
Unfortunately, the vision of the organization usually suffers. If a team has a vision without a competent leader, it becomes a problem. Vision starts to leak. And without a good leader, it will dissipate, and the team will drift with no sense of direction.
There are several kinds of bad bosses, each with distinct characteristics that negatively impact employees and organizations. These include insecure, visionless, incompetent, self-centred, chameleon, political, and controlling leaders.
Here are a few kinds:
Insecure leaders
They tend to think everything is about them, and every action or every decision goes through their egocentric filter.
Visionless leaders
Leaders who don’t have a vision cause two problems for their employees: first, they can’t provide direction or motivation to move forward. Second, they usually lack passion. They lack the fire and the fuel to keep going.
Incompetent leaders
Controlling leaders, often characterized by micromanagement, are typically motivated by two things: an impossible need for perfection or the belief that no one can perform a job as well as they can, implying others' contributions are inferior. These working conditions are detrimental to employees.
Self-centred leaders
Self-centred leaders try to get ahead at the expense of everyone else.
Chameleon leaders
When people follow such a leader, they can never know how they will react. So, valuable time and energy are usually wasted trying to predict their next move and which face they will wear that day.
Political leaders
They are motivated by the ambition to get ahead. It’s hard to follow people whose decisions are based on personal interests rather than the vision, the well-being of the organization, or the people.
Controlling leaders
People who micromanage are often motivated by two things: the need for perfection, which is impossible, or the belief that no one can do a job as well as they can, which really means they think others’ contributions aren’t as good as their own. Neither of these working conditions is positive for the people answering to them.
Discover the best way to help your employees build immunity, consistently connect with your leadership team, and predictably turn them into highly engaged employees. Call me for some complimentary advice. Book an appointment at https://calendly.com/inscapegreg/blog-appointment or call me at +1 (604) 943-0800.
