This text initially appeared on Enterprise Insider.
I’ve seen greater than a couple of dangerous managers in my over 40 years of enterprise, management, and consulting — together with because the vp of HR at Microsoft. Listed here are 4 traits I’ve seen in virtually each certainly one of them.
1. Self-centered
The commonest trait I’ve seen in dangerous managers is a relentless give attention to themselves. All the things is all about them. Whether or not it is pushed by ego or panic, dangerous managers are at all times fearful about how they seem to others.
Unhealthy managers stress about how they give the impression of being to their boss: Do I look robust or weak? Do they assume I am an fool? How do my friends see me? What about these above my boss?
Unhealthy managers fret about what their staff thinks of them. They need desperately to be seemed as much as. They will need to have all of the solutions. Somewhat than give attention to points, it is all about appearances. They wish to seem robust, unflappable, even invincible to their staff.
A couple of managers do that out of ego. They must be the focal point, the main target of their world. They need every part of their staff to be for his or her profit. Maybe to boost their profession. Extra typically to stoke their ego.
However the egotists are the exception, not the rule. Extra widespread are the worriers. The nervous managers cowering underneath the burden of their very own imposter syndrome. You may inform them from the egotists by their tentative method to issues. Afraid of being uncovered, they placed on the bravest of faces. But it surely’s only a masks. Nervous what others should consider them. Not realizing how not often others ever do.
Failing to see that it is the outcomes that rely, they fear about picture. Their picture. So, they attempt to management each side of their presentation to others.
As a substitute of working with their staff to create the outcomes that may get them discover, they make all of it about themselves.
2. Enter-focused
Most dangerous managers are inordinately centered on the inputs to their processes, not the output outcomes of the staff.
They stress about staff who’re two minutes late or too typically within the restroom. They monitor their staff’ each transfer, their each keystroke. They fear about hours enter, not outcomes output.
Their obsession with picture spills out right here as properly. They stress about skilled look, not skilled outcomes. They need everybody to at all times a minimum of look busy. There is not any larger crime than a cheerful worker having fun with their time with their co-workers. It is all enterprise, on a regular basis.
These managers relentlessly monitor every part, all of the flawed issues. They monitor time spent with the shopper, not whether or not the shopper was glad. They monitor keystrokes per minute, not issues resolved. They monitor staff as in the event that they have been robots, in search of the slightest variation from their splendid automaton.
These managers lose sight of the forest for the timber. As a substitute of being obsessive about outcomes, gross sales, and joyful clients, they’re centered on the inputs — the inputs that really feel simpler to manage.
3. Afraid of failure
A spin off from the obsession with picture, these dangerous managers are deeply afraid of failure. Significantly any look of failure which may replicate poorly on them.
Somewhat than embracing the odd failure because the inevitable consequence of a staff that is pushing the boundaries, these managers are obsessive about perfection. As a substitute of looking for causes, they hunt for somebody in charge. Somewhat than discovering an opportunity for all to study, they see a cause to be embarrassed.
Outwardly, they bury any proof of a misstep, hoping it by no means sees the sunshine of day. Nervous it can replicate badly on their report, they discover excuses or culprits. Wherever else to forged the damaging gentle.
Consequently, the staff turns into skilled to additionally bury any proof of failure.
Outcomes are even falsified to stop disclosure of any final result that falls wanting perfection. Similar to their supervisor, they develop averse to failure. The higher to keep away from the cruel penalties of discovery.
The staff turns into tentative, cautious in each step. No dangers are taken, and no boundaries are even approached, lest the end result be the smallest failing. Protected and cautious to the purpose of being timid, the staff underperforms. Solely to earn the additional ire of the perfectionist in chief.
Somewhat than push the staff the dangerous supervisor performs every part protected. Somewhat than study from, even embrace, failure, they lash out and bury it.
4. Info hoarder
All of this results in a supervisor who treats data as a treasured commodity to be hoarded — moderately than a present to be shared.
The dangerous supervisor controls the narrative each into and out of the staff. They preserve strict management over communication outdoors the staff. They monitor electronic mail and conferences, insisting on being copied or included. They meticulously evaluation and edit each scrap of knowledge which may discover its technique to the higher-ups.
Afraid of upsetting the staff, the dangerous supervisor hides dangerous information they study from above or round them. They painting it as heroically shielding the staff from the noise. In actuality, they’re suspending the inevitable discovery by different sources. With out management of the information, the supervisor solely appears to be like worse, their biggest worry.
The supervisor and the staff quickly discover themselves mendacity to one another. And to everybody outdoors. “All the things’s nice right here; no want to fret about us.” Even because the fires of doom burn ever nearer.
Groups run by dangerous managers typically resemble cults on this method. They turn into remoted islands minimize off from the remainder of the group. “I can not let you know, that is have to know” or “you would not perceive” are widespread refrains.
These groups not often outperform, however you’d by no means know that from the restricted obtainable data — data hoarded jealously by their dangerous supervisor.
Managers like this are well-known — for the flawed causes
With this array of widespread traits, dangerous managers typically turn into well-known inside the group. However not in the way in which they’d hope. They’re seemed on with disdain, even pity, from the surface. Good staff warn their friends to keep away from them. Refugees from the staff inform tales far and huge. Many merely stop to flee the ache.
If you end up on their staff, one of the best method is to discover a method out. They’ll possible outlast you, and put on you down.
Which highlights their most troublesome trait, the dangerous supervisor endures.
They even ramp up their ways. Their fastidiously masked picture of success hides them from penalties. The group suffers, typically rewarding the habits that makes them such dangerous managers within the first place. Like cockroaches in the long run occasions, dangerous managers discover a technique to endure.
Chris Williams is a former vp of HR at Microsoft and a management advisor, podcaster, TikTok creator, and creator.