Have You Fallen Prey to the Seven Signs of a Bad Boss?

It's tough for employees to be engaged and focused on attaining key organizational and professional goals when they are under the influence of an ineffective manager or supervisor. 

And, the quickest way to ensure high labor turnover within your department as soon as the job market improves is to demonstrate the characteristics of a BAD BOSS.

1. Bad Bosses Have No Clear Goals. If your team has no clue of the goals or expectations they should be working towards, this may be a weak area for you. In such cases, that there are either no goals at all; the goals are unrealistic; or they are unclear to the team. This leads your team to believe that either their boss doesn’t know what they are doing, doesn’t care, or doesn’t want them to be in the loop.
2. Bad Bosses Deliver Poor or No Communication. These are the silent types, who revel in their team not knowing what they are thinking. Bad Bosses don’t feel it necessary to communicate how the company is doing, nor how employees are performing in their jobs. They just don’t communicate, and rarely show any emotion – good or bad.
3. Bad Bosses Hold No One Accountable. When there is no communication of team standards or goals, Bad Bosses really can’t hold anyone accountable for excellence or even mediocre job performance. Bad Bosses are apt turn a blind eye, allowing rampant compromise throughout the workplace – and in spite of their lack of accountability, they are not approachable and some employees even fear them.
4. Bad Bosses Often Blames Others. When things don’t go as they planned or expected, Bad Bosses are quick to point fingers at everyone except themselves – especially when their team doesn’t perform up to par. While self-accountability is out of the question, Bad Bosses find it easy to blame inefficient work systems, processes, and staff members (all within their sphere of control) for their inability to meet company-wide goals and performance standards.
5. Bad Bosses Have No Strategy for Improvement or Team Success. Stubbornly believing that strategizing is a waste of time, they just don’t bother with it. Bad Bosses have a false belief that they are doing fine as is; and because often the powers that be (senior leaders and board members) don’t hold them accountable for positive change, things remain in a constant state of confusion for both customers and employees.
6. Bad Bosses Never Delegate. To mask their fear of employee empowerment, Bad Bosses fail to properly train and delegate challenging tasks to their team members. They are cynical when it comes to their team, and don’t feel that anyone has the intellect or capacity to perform their job satisfactorily. Therefore, the team remains stagnant and virtually paralyzed in the absence of leadership.
7. Bad Bosses Don’t Mentor Others. To them training, development of staff, and mentoring is also a waste of time. They often say, “No one ever mentored or developed me and I turned out alright.” Bad Bosses have no concept of how to synergistically collaborate with their team to help them grow and excel in their jobs. Unfortunately, Bad Bosses practice “tough love” when it comes to on-the-job training.

Now take a minute and assess your current workplace. How many of these poor leadership behaviors do you or your leaders regularly exhibit? When you are treated like this, how does it make you feel?

If this information has helped you surfaced some of your blind spots, now is a good time to make a change in order to increase your effectiveness as a leader. And for more information on how to enhance your effectiveness as a leader, check out our popular book "The Leadership Book of Numbers, Volume 1"

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Do You Possess the Six C's of Leadership?

There are Six C's of Leadership that anyone who has influence and power over a team of people should possess.

Having the ability to master these six characteristics is the embodiment of a highly effective and successful leader.

1. COMPETENCE - more than knowing "how to do" something, but also displayed in the level of confidence, finesse and effectiveness with which it is done.
2. COMPASSION - the balance of kindness and empathy.
3. COURAGE - doing what is right, even when it is unpopular.
4. CHARISMA - a positive energy and an enthusiasm that inspires others to change.
5. COMMITMENT - best demonstrated in the level of dedication and allegiance you have toward your team.
6. COMMUNICATION - the ability to share information in a clear and concise manner so that everyone understands.

Which of these Six C's of Leadership are your strengths? Which are oportunities for improvement? What will be your plan for personal change?

In the final analysis, becoming a person of influence that others want to follow begins with YOU.  Remember, exceptional leaders are competent, committed to the cause, courageous, great communicators, charismatic, and possess a great deal of compassion for others.

To read more on the Six C's of Leadership and other short tips for leaders on the go, check out our latest book, The Leadership Book of Numbers, Volume 1.  We guarantee it will help you grow your business, enhance your professional life, and lead others more effectively. 

The Mindset to Create a Culture of Excellence

Does your leadership team embody the mindset needed to create and sustain a culture of excellence?

In order to drive and sustain service, performance, and operational excellence a leader must embrace nine key paradigms. While a good majority of leaders believe in the concept of service excellence, only a small minority totally embrace it, act on it, and over time see significant results.

This is an excerpt of Chapter 5 from our popular book, The Leadership Book of Numbers Volume 1. As you read through these key paradigms, I encourage you to assess your behavior and consider which ones you need to improve on. At the end of this article is a link to assess the book and full article.

Highly Effective Leaders…

1. Are avid students of service excellence, and always striving for perfection in the manner in which service is delivered to the customer. They are never satisfied with mediocre or even good service, and persevere until they are able to consistently deliver the ultimate customer experience.
2. Find meaning and purpose in their work, and because of their strong commitment to the organization’s vision and mission, they easily inspire others to enthusiastically follow them.
3. Receive an intrinsic satisfaction from watching employees grow. Highly effective leaders thrive in a work environment that fosters employee empowerment and uncompromising levels of service for both internal and external customers.
4. Stay focused on the big picture, which is ultimately customer loyalty. The energy of their team should be channeled toward successful achievement of this business objective, which ultimately impacts bottom-line results.
5. Have high expectations and standards for themselves and their team. Unwilling to compromise company standards of service, they take ownership of their work (good or bad) and desire to work alongside other dedicated employees.
6. Are highly competitive, they do not enjoy losing or even coming in second place. Being number two is not an option in the minds of leaders consumed with excellence; it is achieved through their desire to be number one.
7. Know their attitude (good or bad) sets the tone for the team. These leaders are addicted to positive thinking and have no problem confronting negativity head on. Their positive, upbeat demeanor enables them to create great relationships with employees and customers alike.
8. Are empathetic in their helpful approach with people. Because of their genuine concern for others, highly effective leaders become fully engaged by listening with their ears and heart to find the essence of any customer or employee dissatisfaction. They are supportive of the uniqueness of others and emotionally sensitive.
9. Have an intense desire to share knowledge with their team. These leaders regularly collect information that is beneficial to the team, thus increasing its performance. They enjoy opportunities to learn more about the business.

Remember -- to drive excellence, productivity, and success within your team or organization, you must select a team of leaders who possess the mindset needed to embrace a culture of excellence. It does not happen by chance.

The Leadership Book of Numbers, Volume 1 
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