Bad Bosses Ruin Lives/ Great Bosses Enrich Lives
The majority of bosses do not wake up in the morning and say to themselves, “Today is a great day to ruin my people’s lives.” And yet time after time, person after person, that is exactly what is happening, with well-intentioned bosses getting it wrong. In fact, according to our recent surveys, 99.6% of people have had a bad boss, and 80% have admitted to being a bad boss.
We're on a mission to change this. We want to help bosses understand what their bad boss traits are (since we all have them), and then take actions to enrich people’s lives through our Great Boss Building Block Model™.
how can we help?
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For organizations: Fuel inspiration and motivation amongst your leadership and management teams through a tailored presentation or workshop to give your people the tools they need to be great bosses.
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For bosses: If you’re a boss (leader, manager, etc.,) and want to better identify and/or understand your own potential bad boss traits, take our free and confidential online assessment to start taking action towards being a great boss. Scroll down for the assessment link and for more details.
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For everyone: Learn more about the 10 types of bad bosses and the Great Boss Building Block Model™, in our book, Bad Bosses Ruin Lives: The Building Blocks to Being a Great Boss. Grab your copy today on Amazon (ADD LINK).
Schedule a consultation to discuss how we can help you.
The 10 Types of Bad Bosses
When we think of bad bosses we conjure up images of cartoon characters with steam coming out of their ears, or holding a megaphone and screaming at their poor defenseless employees. And while these stereotypical bad bosses do exist, the reality is that many other types and traits exist in the real workplace, far beyond the caricature we see in cartoons or Hollywood.
In our book, we cover 10 types of bad bosses. These reflect the traits that exist in many bosses in the workplace (and possibly in you). Here is a high level summary for each:
The Avoider
An Avoider doesn't show up for their people, ghosting them, and not giving them the time, attention, and feedback they need to do their job and feel valued.
The Ignorer
An Ignorer doesn’t listen to what their people say. They ignore input, ideas, and perspectives from their people, thus missing out on what they have to say, and making their people feel undervalued.
The Hoarder
A Hoarder withholds and keeps information to themself, or shares it in ways that don't fully meet the needs of their people.
The Unappreciater
An Unappreciater doesn’t show their people recognition, gratitude, or appreciation, making them feel unvalued, invisible, and unappreciated for their actions and contributions.
The Pretender
Withholds the truth and any discomfort it could cause others in an attempt to please and be nice to them, giving answers they feel are wanted, and failing to give them the honesty they need and deserve.
The Blocker
A Blocker prevents or gets in the way of their people’s development and career progression, blocking them from achieving their goals, mastering new skills, or contributing to the company’s success.
The Firefighter
A Firefighter deals with situations in a reactive and urgent manner, moving people from fire to fire with no apparent strategy, impacting their ability to plan, learn, grow, and achieve more meaningful and long-term achievements.
The Micromanager
A Micromanager is overly involved in their people’s work, constantly controlling and prescribing what and how work is done.
The Blamer
A Blamer assigns responsibility to someone(s) for a fault or wrong, casting blame and refusing to take any accountability themselves.
The Coercer
A Coercer uses power in order to bully, control, and coerce processes and outcomes, expecting strict compliance and offering their people a low degree of autonomy.
The Great Boss Building Block Model™
So what do you need to do to be a great boss? What actions can you take? To help with this, in our book we share our Great Boss Building Block Model™. It’s something we developed based on our own individual journeys as a boss (great, good, and bad!), and in working with and supporting others throughout our careers. The model has 14 different elements, or what we’re calling “building blocks.” As you may have noticed, there are two types of blocks. The six on the bottom, which we call the “foundation” blocks, and the eight on the top, which we call the “connecting” blocks.
Each individual building block strengthens the structures you need to develop and maintain strong relationships with your people – ones where they’re engaged, motivated, productive, and able to be their best selves. Together, the blocks you choose will build resilient and lasting structures that can withstand the challenges and tests of time (and people).
Free Resources
The Bad Boss Assessment Tool
To help you understand the traits you have as a boss (good, bad, and great!), we’ve created a free and confidential online assessment tool.
You'll be presented with a series of questions that relate to how you act and behave as a boss. Once answered, you’ll receive a personalized assessment of how you scored against the 10 types of bad bosses covered in the book, and areas you can focus on to improve using the Great Boss Building Block Model™.
Download the Book Introduction
To give you insights into the topics covered in our book Bad Bosses Ruin Lives: The Building Blocks for Being a Great Boss, we’re sharing the Introduction to our book.
The Introduction will cover:
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Why we have bad bosses
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Myths and misconceptions about bad bosses
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The changing role of a boss
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The impact and shadow you cast
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Final challenges
Bad Boss Survey Report
Get an exclusive look into the Bad Boss surveys conducted for our book, giving you insights into:
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The most common types of bad bosses covered in our book from two perspectives – on bosses you've had, and on you as a boss.
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The disconnect found between how and what employees and bosses identify in bad bosses traits.
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Statistics to highlight the current “bad boss” landscape, helping you address it yourself or within your leadership development program.