Does your boss need to be fired?

These ten qualities not only hinder a manager’s effectiveness but can also lead to a toxic workplace culture, ultimately affecting the overall success of the organization. Recognizing and addressing these traits is essential for any manager aspiring to lead effectively.

The Worst Qualities to Have in Leadership

1. Poor communication skills. This is the worst offender by far. Poor communication is often the umbrella issue for every other problem employees have with their managers. A failure to communicate is a critical flaw, and managers who do not know how to (or choose not to) communicate can create confusion and frustration among the rest of the team members.
2. Micromanagement. There’s nothing worse than having your neck breathed on when you’re trying to accomplish something, and managers who check in too often, overcorrect, and over-instruct often stifle team creativity and autonomy. Employees can feel when their management doesn’t trust them, especially if they’ve done everything possible to be trustworthy.
3. Hands-off management. As with most things, if the pendulum swings back the other way too far, it can produce similar problems. Micromanagers may stifle, but a hands-off manager will find that work doesn’t get done because no one feels any responsibility to do it. These managers find a lack of cohesion in their workforce because no one feels any urgency or respect for the hierarchy of their workplace.
4. Lack of empathy. Authoritarian managers will drive your employees one of two places: insane or away. Remembering that those they are in charge of are people and not minions can help employees feel comfortable, produce their best work, and enjoy their employment. Things happen, and people deserve some grace for genuine mistakes or issues that arise, especially if they’re valued employees.
5. Inconsistent expectations. The goal post was in one spot, but as soon as the employee made the shot, the manager moved it elsewhere. This results in a long string of “almost goals” that leave the employee never feeling accomplished, never feeling progress, and never feeling adept at their work. Management that manipulates the rules or changes the progress points too often can create a tumultuous work environment.
6. Using fear as a motivational tool. Toxic workplace alert! Leadership should never use threats– real or empty– to motivate an employee. Threats of reprimand, pay cuts, demotions, or firing create a hostile and tense work environment that will never keep a good employee long. Anxiety as a motivator never works long-term and will never result in creativity or zest for work.
7. Playing favorites. This manager is fantastic. They love their employee. They understand and accept and show empathy to their employee. But just one employee. Everyone else suffers the other qualities on this list. Why? Because that’s their favorite employee. And they’ll soon be their only employee because everyone else noticed a long time ago that they weren’t valued equally.
8. Taking credit for others’ work. A manager presenting a project done by their staff as their own work is not only unethical, it’s unfair. Employees will notice this behavior quickly, and they’ll remember it for a very long time, especially if their ability to progress is hindered by this action. The people in your employ are vital members of a larger machine, not stepping stones for managerial progress.
9. Avoiding accountability. On the other hand, placing the blame for managerial inadequacy on others is equally reprehensible. Employees are vulnerable to managerial honesty or lack thereof, and pinning the blame for mishaps or underperformances in the office is a major sign of terrible leadership.
10. Lack of recognition. Perhaps the hidden killer of good professional relationships is the one where, even if the manager is otherwise fantastic, the employee doesn’t feel appreciated. Employees need to be recognized for their work verbally, non-monetarily, and monetarily at different points in their career. Consistently letting an employee know that they are appreciated in whatever way is appropriate at the time is imperative as a good leader.

Recognize any of these issues in your management team? Or are you hiring someone with little to no management experience?

Avoid these tragic mistakes before they happen by giving your new manager the skills to lead confidently and responsibly OR fix the troubles your current management team might be experiencing by re-training them with a toolbelt full of leadership skills.

Shockingly, only 29% of companies provide initial training for new leaders, and less than 5% provide training for the skills necessary to become good leaders across all levels of employment. Employees who underwent identity-based leadership development training reported significant increases in self-concept clarity, sense of purpose in life, and personal growth about 2-3 weeks after the programs ended, and a 20-25% increase in their productivity.

Companies providing training programs could experience 147% more earnings per share on average and are 3.4 times more likely to be rated a best place to work if they employ people-forward talent practices.

Workplace Harmony has the solution.

Lean on us for that exact type of leadership training we’re talking about with our Manager Bootcamp and Leadership Workshop Series. Your managers will learn their roles and responsibilities, the best practices for documenting and handling interactions with employees, the importance of effective communication and workplace civility, and more.

Using practice scenarios, step-by-step guides, and real-world examples, Workplace Harmony will educate and direct them on how to handle everything from the most common issues in the workplace to the weird and wacky issues that they need to problem-solve creatively.

Let us take away their uncertainty so they can calmly and correctly handle anything that business throws their way and keep your good name clean on reviews and job boards, your current and future employees happy, and you stress-free. Give yourself the peace of mind that your leadership is well-equipped by giving them the training they need.
Interested? We thought so! Give us a call to see how we can light the spark we know your management team has with our Manager Bootcamp and Leadership Workshop Series.