Having sifted through hundreds of responses and comments over the last few weeks, I am now able to reveal the top ten things that annoy people about their boss.
You can use this list as a boss, to score yourself, do some self-reflection and perhaps, begin to mend your ways. On the other hand, you might be inclined to give yourself a nice pat on the back. If so, watch out for that old twin demons of delusion and complacency.
Alternatively, maybe you are getting a little annoyed with your boss at the moment? If so, use this list to begin thinking constructively about what is going wrong and what you want to change. Remember it takes two to tango, so start to think about what you can do to begin improving the situation.
Without further ado, here are the ten most common annoyances with bosses, in reverse order:
No. 10: Lack of Friendliness. To some this may seem a little strange, it is work after all. Team members quite like being treated as if they were human, so excessive task focus can spoil this vital relationship. And it is important. In fact, research suggests that not getting on with the boss is the number one people quit their jobs.
No. 9: Narcissist and Self-Serving. Everyone has an agenda, and bosses are well within their rights to be driving forward their careers. This complaint arises when this is taken to the extreme, at the expense of the team members. When you add an over-inflated ego into the mix, you could have a major problem on your hands.
No. 8: Playing Favourites and Lack of Recognition. You are on a hiding to nothing if you expect everyone to be given equal treatment – that just doesn’t happen. However, when certain people are favoured far more than others, it often leaves an individual feeling ignored, isolated and not recognised for the contribution they could make. Warranted or not, this one can really stir up bad feeling.
No. 7: Missing in Action (Presumably). Bosses, by virtue of the work they do, have to fly around all over the place meeting people. After all, the higher your rise, the more time needs to be spent influencing people. Spending time with the team, especially informal time, is vital to keep team members feeling valued and appreciated. And, if they don’t know where the boss is, they’ll start to guess and gossip.
No. 6: Dictatorial and Autocratic. Their way or the highway. Orders do sometimes need to be given, and if done well, there is nothing wrong with this. These days however, it should only be used in extreme cases. Many bosses seem to lack this insight, and risk displaying a lack of respect, care and well, competence.
No. 5: Micro-Managing or Not Trusting. Most managers who do this have a passionate interest in getting things right, obsessing about what is being done. This conveys a serious lack of trust, and people who are not trusted to get on with their job don’t perform well. This leads to a danger of it becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. There are much more enlightened ways to get the most out of team members these days.
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No. 4: Failed Promises or Unmet Expectations. Yes, this is a big one. A common influencing tactic (some would say dirty trick) is to suggest to a team member that with sufficient blood sweat and tears, they’ll be in a good position for promotion, or whatever carrot seems to be at hand. Repeating this ruse is a dangerous game in the relationship stakes.
No. 3: Unrealistic Expectations (or rather, Demands). Sure, managers need to set the bar high and drive for increasing levels of performance. Some even play the game of survival of the fittest. It may get the job done, but the collateral damage in the relationships could undermine the result. It will certainly erode goodwill towards the boss.
No. 2: Sending Mixed Messages. This may arise from poor decision making. Decisions need to be made clearly and with resolution. Chopping and changing leads renders communication confusing at best. Regardless of the cause, the level of uncertainty that many bosses leave in their wake is extremely damaging, especially to the performance. If people don’t know what the boss wants, the boss is unlikely to get it, even if they don’t realise it.
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No. 1: Not Listening. This is the biggie, cited by over 68% of people. Finding time to listen isn’t always easy, but that doesn’t make it any less necessary. Team members look at things from a different perspective and have vital contributions to make. If the boss isn’t listening they are running a huge risk of making mistakes. Even if the team member is wrong, everyone has an inner need to be heard, without which they feel undervalued, disrespected and likely, disregarded. Not only is it the most common complaint, it is also probably the most damaging to the overall mission of the boss.
To my way of thinking, when more than a couple of these annoyances are present in a boss/team member relationship, they’ll all be there to some degree. In fact, I’d go so far at to say they represent a woeful lack of leadership, and a criminal waste of resources.
So, if you’re a line manager, how do you stack up on these?
Perhaps you could ask your team if you are not sure?
Go on, I dare you.
Or, if you are sitting beneath one of these annoying managers, what are you going to do about it?
Stay sat there or learning how to put things right?
Colin Gautrey
Provocative Coach/Mentor | Specialism: Impact and Influence
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