The Cost of Bad Bosses
I see
a lot of articles on leadership and giving feedback. I see far fewer on the cost to an
organisation of a “bad boss”. This is my
own “ten cents worth”.
Although most organisations are fairly
effective at rooting out poor performing employees, they show less ability when
it comes to spotting bad bosses. This
often takes much longer, and costs the organisation more. Three quarters of
employees report that they work for a “bad” boss, but how do they define “bad”? You need to distinguish between ineffective
leaders and “bad people”.
Bad bosses may not be obvious for a number
of reasons:
·
They’ve been promoted to their
current position, so the feeling is that “they must be good” (logical);
·
They’re often adept at “office
politics” – presenting a very different face to their bosses compared to their
direct reports (I’ve seen this myself);
·
They may be good at disguising
or hiding their tracks;
·
Even if senior management know
they’re “bad”, they don’t want to admit their mistake in promoting them;
·
Subordinates may not say
anything for fear of reprisals (very true).
The costs or signs of a bad boss show up in
a number of different ways, for example in a:
·
Higher degree of absenteeism (e.g.
sick leave) in the team/department compared with others;
·
Higher degree of errors than
might be expected in the department;
·
Higher level of departures or
transfers compared to other departments;
·
High level of staff replacement
costs.
Whatever the sign (or signs are), you have
a problem and need to fix it before productivity becomes seriously ruined, your
product or service is affected and your organisation’s reputation lost forever.
A bad person or leader can bring down a business very quickly, as countless
examples in history show.
Once you’ve spotted these signs, what do
you do? I recommend several approaches:
·
Look for evidence to confirm
your suspicions – is it really a case of one individual or a team setting out
to make an effective (but unpopular) boss “look bad” for their own reasons?
·
Observe and talk to team
members and to peers of the boss concerned.
How people react around the individual or when talking about them?
·
Ask yourself if it’s a
leadership or personal issue. If
leadership, it can be changed. Personal
ones may be more difficult (but not insurmountable). For example, has something recently happened
in the individual’s personal life (e.g. loss of a loved one, divorce) that has
changed their behaviour?
·
If there’s a real problem,
speak to the individual concerned (not as easy as it sounds). Depersonalise any criticisms, but make it
clear that behaviour has to change.
·
Use facts or examples, don’t generalise.
Point to specific instances of behaviour and their impact on others. This may mean you have to keep a closer eye
on the person concerned.
Some ask whether a good boss can “turn
bad”. As I mentioned above, if something
bad has happened in their personal life or professional life (e.g. being passed
over for promotion), they may react in a way that damages relations with their
team without even realising it.
Make sure that you realise that a “bad
boss” isn’t necessarily a “bad person”; they may just be an ineffective leader. Can this be changed with the right coaching?
Labels: Career, Customer Care, Financial, Strategy, Teamwork
posted by William Martin @ 08:59
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