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The kind of bosses we all love to hate...

Bad bosses contaminate the work place.
Bad bosses contaminate the work place.

News flash: When authority has to be forced then its completely non existent and formal role power is not going to get your employees to produce great work.

Typically, we think of organizations as hierarchical structures. You do what your boss says and your employees do what you say. Well at least in theory but, people don’t like being told what to do. This explains the difference between a manager and a leader.

A manager micromanages and uses the force of fear and intimidation to produce results. Managers cannot relax into trust. They are keyed up, judgmental and certain that dire consequences will befall them if they ever let their vigilance flag. A leader on the other hand, lets his workers follow and learn from his successes, drawing their motivation from his inspiring nature.

While a manager will often bring results, it never lasts. This is because what they are working with is begrudging compliance from unhappy and unsatisfied employees.  To qoute Forbes, the role power is virtually useless against people who don’t respect your authority.

Do you have the following characteristics? Then you're probably a bad boss.

1. Bad bosses dont ask for their team's opinion.

Bad bosses don't dare share authority with anyone. They believe that their source of power is by making undisputable decisions.

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2. They don't acknowledge their worker's accomlishments.

Their acknowledges comes in the form of, "You done  a good job BUT..."

Bad bosses dont recognize what the others have acheived so as to keep the unequal power relationship intact.

3. Bad bosses don't understand correction.

Anything contrary to what they believe is an act of rebel from his workers.

4. They cannot handle polite debates.

The need to assert authority then comes to play and they have to use sentences like, "I'm the one who is making decisions here." (Umm...yes granddad.) They only take advice from their subordinates behind closed doors.

5. They hate public confrontation unless they are the ones doing the confronting.

They only take advice from their colleagues behind closed doors. They don't mind shouting rules at you and dare you talk back.

6. Bad bosses don't stand up for their workers.

It's going to take an arm, a leg and a sacrife to the water gods before a bad boss deals with his subordinates problems. It's simply not important until affects them.

7. They discount any information or feedback that feels threatening to their political status.

When they say "I'll take that idea under advisement" they want to shut you up. They have no intention of considering your idea.

ALSO READ: 8 things intelligent people don't say

8. They don't give their teammates visibility into the future, even when it would help the employee and the company to do so.

They have taken the adage "Knowledge is power" to heart. They hoard whatever information they acquire, and dole it out in tiny doses.

9. They are more concerned about maintaining status.

Whatever status, prestige or organizational power they have accumulated matters more than whatever is best for the organization.

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