Where do Horrible Bosses come from?
I’m sure you’ve had or currently have a horrible boss. Have you ever wondered why he or she was so horrible? Was he or she always like this? Does he or she know that he or she is horrible? Or does he or she just enjoy torturing innocent subordinates? Sometimes, you wonder if you are the horrible employee. “Are horrible bosses born or made?” No matter the answers, the fact remains that horrible bosses exist and are unfortunately here to stay!
“Are Horrible Bosses Born or Made?”
Horrible bosses have the uncanny ability to make us angry, depressed and lower our feelings of self-worth and general competency all in one. Others are master de-motivators, as they seemingly “innocently” poke us with senseless partiality and love for those willing to do their every bidding. What irks the most is that they can do no wrong while the world does nothing right, which crushes any hopes for justice.
As I searched the universe for the origin of the Horrible Boss, I decided, for the purposes of this blog, to coin the term “horribility”. Horribility refers to the rate or level of “horribleness” (another coined term); how horrible can something, someone or a situation be. I have found, in my experience, that many times, the level of horribility of bosses is often directly proportionate to their level of power.
In 1870, Lord Acton, in response to attempts to promote the doctrine of papal infallibility stated;
“I cannot accept your canon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men, with a favourable presumption that they did no wrong. If there is any presumption it is the other way, against the holders of power, increasing as the power increases. Historic responsibility has to make up for the want of legal responsibility. Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority, still more when you super add the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority. There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it.”
Could it be that, by inheriting the authority of the position, people change? Could our horrible bosses be a product of excess power? Does power create horrible bosses or could it just be our unwavering respect for their position of power? Does instant power and authority go to the head of the holder of the position? If this is the case, can we assume that becoming a horrible boss is the natural progression of promotion, and that not becoming horrible is the anomaly?
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority…”
I believe that power is one of seven things that contributes to a boss’ horribility.
1. Inability to Manage Excess Authority and Power
As nature would have it, only the strongest survive. As such, lions, tigers, great white sharks and yes, even humans, or other strong ferocious creatures, headline the cinematic reality called life. Just imagine for a second if the quaint, scared rabbit, were to transform overnight to a two-ton, fang-bearing beast. Do you think he would be still be as timid, scared and defensive as he was before? Similarly, when we inherit (suddenly or gradually) large amounts of authority and power, many people struggle to listen to our kind conscientious selves, i.e. assuming we were kind to begin with. In cases where we were already unkind and selfish, we become straight-out unbearable.
2. Misguided Perception of Competence and Achievement
Some bosses feel a continuous need to be right, based on their accomplishments and “perceived” competence. I would like to stress the word “perceived”, as many times, the accomplishments and achievements are hinged more on the length of service and experience, and not added value and achievement. This is so, because many people have been promoted due to the appearance of achievement and added value, which does not actually exist. To make up for this void of added value, they are constantly on a mission to prove themselves: mainly to themselves and secondarily, to others. They must be right! Their incessant need to be correct and to ensure that they are the most knowledgeable person in the room often leaves their direct subordinates with the arduous task of coping with their “wrongness”, even when they (i.e. the direct reporters) are indeed right. What a burden!
In the book, “The Peter Principle”, the author explains that ultimately, we all get promoted to our level of incompetence. To make up for our incompetence, we often resort to highlighting the incompetence in others. The behaviors used to accomplish tasks are usually not people friendly and ultimately increase one’s horribility. These bosses are not connected to reality.
3. Need for dependency
Horrible bosses have an insatiable desire to feel needed. To maintain the dependency of their subordinates, they hoard information and resources, compelling their team members to consult them for solutions to many simple tasks. They often micro manage, ensuring the frustration of any team member willing to go the extra mile. As the team gets increasingly frustrated with their bosses need for control, the horrible boss feels increasingly proud of his ability to manage ALL the information, resources and personnel within his or her charge.
4. Low Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence is one’s ability to understand their emotions, as well as the emotions of others. Emotional Intelligence is also the single most effective characteristic of successful leaders. Horrible bosses are usually horrible because, whether intentionally or not, their behaviors indicate that they do not or cannot consider the emotions of others.
“Horribility refers to the rate or level of horribleness; how horrible can something, someone or a situation be…”
Horrible bosses are professional “toe steppers”. They become obliviously selfish, often to the detriment of their teams and the organization or department they have been charged to lead.
5. Fear of Accountability — The Blame Game
Basketball star Michael Jordan once said that his success was a result of his many failures. Accomplished individuals understand that, “Success is failure waiting to happen.” As such, they are not afraid to be held accountable for their actions. Personally, I find it very difficult to describe or define a model leader without using the words influence and accountability. Interestingly, horrible bosses seem to only be accountable for success, but not the failure or failures that led to it.
This fear of accountability or of being wrong could be the result of low self-esteem, or maybe a crazy love for being right! Either way, this fear leads to a spike in your horrible boss’s horribility score.
6. Another Horrible Boss
As is expected, one tends to be the product of his social environment, including his mentors. Such would be the case of our horrible bosses. They may simply be the product of their mentors. It’s the classic case of a horrible boss creating another horrible boss. In this case, your horrible boss was made (not born).
7. Your Poor Performance
Maybe your horrible boss is not that horrible. Could it be that you’re just a horrible employee, who hates being held accountable or is simply sadly incompetent? Maybe your boss is calling you out on your performance, and you hate it. Instead of acknowledging your poor performance, you blame your boss. Chances are, you may just be a horrible coworker and even worse, a horrible boss in the making.
When asked the question, “Are leaders born?” John Maxwell comically responds at one of his seminars with, “Of course they are.” He was insinuating the obvious, that people are born. Horrible bosses are also born but the question is, “Were they born horrible?”
I believe the only thing we are destined to do from birth is to find our life fit; other than that, situations, experiences and circumstances make us who we are. Access to power, unwavering respect from subordinates and most of the traits mentioned above make a person’s transformation into a horrible boss imminent.
With that said, becoming a Horrible Boss is the natural progression of the individual, but not an imminent one. With training and deliberate effort, we all can become conscientious, productive, influential leaders within our social networks. Being great at anything takes work, deliberate effort and determination, and being a great boss is no different.
“…Becoming a Horrible Boss is the natural progression of the individual but not an imminent one.”
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