Badm 310

Chapter 1 Video Case: Bad Bosses

If you saw the movie Office Space, character Bill Lumberg may have reminded you of someone. While many of us have encountered an unreasonable boss like Lumberg, bad bosses are no laughing matter. Having a bad relationship with a boss is one of the major reasons people seek other jobs. Half of all workers say they can do their bosses job better. Unfortunately, says Brent Rasmussen of CareerBuilder.com, leaving is usually the only way to get rid of a bad boss.

Just what makes a boss bad? Generally speaking, they lack the people skills necessary to be effective leaders. Bad bosses have been characterized as greedy, condescending, even thieving, stealing good ideas and taking credit for them. Through finger pointing and yelling, bad bosses also create a stressful environment. In fact, studies have shown that stress levels and days lost to illness are lower in work places that are managed fairly.

Justin Racz, in his book, 50 Bosses Worse than Yours, provides a profile of bad bosses, some based on his personal experience. The chair thrower, as the name implies, likes to through things. Racz’s advice: duck. The micromanager doesn’t give workers much breathing room, while the back stabber takes credit or places blame. The screamer is pretty much self-explanatory. Then there’s the boss who wants to be your buddy. A recent survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com found that most workers (49%) have buddy bosses; 23% reported having bosses that are never around; 12% said their bosses were tyrants who might take their head off at any minute; 11% of the bosses think subordinates are after their job; and 5% are ancient bosses resistant to change.

There are a lot of good bosses: 60% of the workers in the CareerBuilder.com survey rated their boss as good, while only 16% rated their boss terrible to poor. Many years ago, famed management author Peter Drucker wrote in his book, Management, that individuals “have a right to be managed with...