Episode 94: Are You Sure You’re Not a Bad Boss?

Key Learnings

• We analyzed the behavior of 30,000 managers, as seen through the eyes of some 300,000 of their peers, direct reports, and bosses on 360-degree evaluations; we found that the sins of the bad boss are far more often those of omission, not commission.
• Again and again, their colleagues described bad bosses as unenthusiastic and passive. This was, in fact, the most noticeable of all their failings.
• Bad bosses have a dim view of the future, don’t know precisely what direction to take, and are (not surprisingly) unwilling to communicate about the future, leaving their subordinates with no clear path forward.

• Our research shows that increasing trust magnifies every other leadership competency. We also discovered that without trust, everything slows down. Trust reduces friction in the organization.

• Fatal flaws in a bad boss are difficult to see — they’re not the kinds of flaws we instantly recognize in others or ourselves. And they’re not the kinds of things people call out since there’s nothing explicit that draws attention.

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