Horrible Bosses

You had one. I had one. We all had one!

Whether at school, college or after graduation encountering one of the Dr. Julia Harris — Bobby Pellitt or David Harken of the world. The bully, the blamer, the manipulator, i bet you know all about those “I quit!” stories we share on every single gathering and over long hours of whining and complaining to a friend.

So let me tell you the story of the five horrible bosses i had to share my life with over the past five years.

My first boss used to track my twitter account, so that whenever i post something during my office hours i find him in front of my face obsessing over work he never gave me, and he calls his management style “diplomatic”.

My second boss was the “work work work work” kind of bosses with good eye for details.. no, like really good eye for details; if you gain weight he tells you, if your eyebrows or mustache grow he sits with you in a one on one feedback session to tell you, you never have to worry about remembering your period schedule, he would always remember.

My third boss was a “she” and dear lord i couldn’t last a week with that woman, i submitted my resignation after 3 years of service and she did not hesitate a second in approving with an “okay, bye” on top.

My fourth boss showered me with encouragement and support, he empowered me with everything you i needed to start fresh specially in a whole new industry, but then he “forgot” to pay his bills for 6 months!

My fifth boss, i diagnosed him with social anxiety; he does not reply to “good morning” or “good bye” and he writes emails in RED. I murdered that man at least 30 times in my head during my first month of the job only, let’s not talk about him.

My horrible terrible bosses gave me a vision that I didn’t see until years later. Now I look back and see that in many ways, it is more beneficial to spend some time working for lousy bosses than to have an unbroken string of great managers coaching you.

The great managers we’re blessed with when we score excellent karma teach us a lot, but awful managers teach us lessons that we couldn’t learn any other way!

Here are five lessons I learned from my horrible bosses:

First, Get into People’s Skin

There is nothing worse than a pompous, self-important manager, marching around like a little general, acting like his only job is presiding over meetings. It’s crazy, get off your fancy office and get out there, truly getting to know and caring about your people as individuals.

Great leaders build trust and credibility with words and deeds that prove, over and over again, they know exactly what makes their people TICK. It is draining YES but if you want your team to win, that should sound OK to you.

Second, Think of Yourself as the Chief Meaning Officer

Leaders exist, in large part, to give purpose to their teams, to relentlessly, passionately explain: “here’s where we’re going, here’s why, here’s how we’re going to get there, here’s how you fit in and here’s what’s in it for you.” and once you’re done explaining all that, you need to do it again.

Remember, your people spend more than 40 hours of every week working. If you’re not helping them make meaning of that investment, you’re wasting their time and their lives.

Third, Remove Blockages from Your People’s Way

A leader’s job is to sweep away all kinds of junk, all those kinds of people in every group — the action blockers, the change resisters, the process obsessives, the “that’s not how we do it around here”, the “ it didn’t use to be that way”.

Fourth, Joyfully Demonstrate the “Generosity Gene”

The best and most effective, most inspiring leaders share one pronounced trait: they love to give raises. They are thrilled to see their employees grow and get promoted. They celebrate their people in every way they can — with money, more responsibility and public praise.

And Fifth, Make Sure Work is Fun

What is wrong with people when it comes to fun at work? Really, what?

Why do so many, too many people assume that work is only work when it’s hard or otherwise unpleasant?

It kills us!

Work is not something you do while you’re waiting to live. Work is life. Fun is great, it’s healthy and energizing for organizations and individuals alike.

Your people give their days, sometimes nights, they give their hands, brains and hearts. Sure, the company pays them, it fills their wallets but as a leader you need to fill their souls.

You can do that by getting in their skin, by giving the work meaning, by clearing obstacles, by demonstrating the generosity gene, and you can do it, perhaps most powerfully by creating an environment that is exciting and enjoyable.

Horrible bosses are a lot out there and if you were just lucky enough to encounter one bad boss without murdering him, you’d learn just as much, if not more, than a great one!