As they say, people don’t leave jobs, they leave managers. We have all had our fair share of bad bosses, which seems to be more common than good ones. Today, I came across this really interesting graphic by Ximena Vinochega, which breaks it down beautifully.
There are four basic buckets:
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Bosses that are hands-on and in it for you
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Bosses that are hands-on and in it for themselves
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Bosses that are hands-off and in it for themselves
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Bosses that hands-off and in it for you
Let’s break it down:
Bosses that are hands-on and in it for you
The Great American Boss. These can be hard to sight as they are not so plentiful in the urban jungle. Identifiable behaviors include coaching and supporting team members, fruitful and productive check-ins, fierce loyalty to protecting their staff and deep trust in their team and holding high standards. Their superpower is to create psychological safety and a space to make and learn from mistakes.
If this is your manager: Congratulations! You have landed in the enviable position of having a good boss and mentor and this is an opportunity to have conversations about your growth and future opportunities. You’ve won the work jackpot. Understand how lucky you are and learn as much as you can. Sometimes the Great American Boss can be misidentified as the Micro-Manager as they are both very hands on. Intent makes all the difference.
If this is you as a manager: Kudos! Keep up the good work. By extending trust and protection to your team, you create loyalty and ultimately better productivity. Communicate early and often about WHY you do what you do and your intention to keep your team chugging along. We bow down to your ninja management skills.
Bosses that are hands-on and in it for themselves
The Micro-Manager also known as Painus Tuchis in Latin. Identifiable behaviors include second-guessing, not trusting the team to make decisions within their area of responsibility and obsessing over trivial details. It’s their way or the highway. At the opposite of the Great American Boss, the superpower of the Micro-Manager creates fear in her wake and paralyzes people from making decisions or innovating. She probably ends up doing it herself anyway because “Nobody has standards as high as mine.”
If this is your manager: You could try to manage up. Or you could transfer or leave. If you attempt to engage with the Micro-Manager, try creating parameters for decisions that are in your control and get all of her expectations for work products at the beginning of the process. Over time, she may loosen the reins and give you more freedom.
If this is you as a manager: Admitting there is a problem is the first step to recovery. I’m all for high standards, but realize that overbearing behavior will drive out the innovators and the independent do-ers. You must chill and trust others. Remember: if you want to go fast you go alone. If you want to go far, we go together.
Bosses that are hands-off and in it for themselves
The Phantom Boss also known as Does She Still Work Here? Identifiable behaviors include an empty chair, random flying missives that are seemingly disconnected from the daily work and a general reluctance to get to know or engage with their team. Their superpower is their ability to disappear, particularly when action hinges on their decision.
If this is your manager: As someone who generally (over)values her independence, I don’t really mind this sort of boss. However, managing up and getting them to pay attention to what you need them to pay attention to can be a challenge. In these situations, I operated on a Need to Know basis in which I chunked out important information with email headers like ACTION REQUESTED and FYI. Create regular check-in times with tight agendas to maximize your limited time with them.
If this is you as a manager: Do a little bit of soul-searching. Are you in the right job? Do you enjoy managing people or do you need more training to do it well? Not everyone is cut out to be a manager and if it’s not what you want to do, then free yourself.
Bosses that hands-off and in it for you
The “Look, Ma, No Hands” also known as the average Executive Director. Identifiable behaviors include minimal direction, inconsistent coaching and check-ins and a generally distracted vibe. Their superpower is that they empower confident self-directed team members. On the flipside, this style can be a disaster for people who need more direction and support.
If this is your manager: It could be that this boss really trusts you. It could also be that this boss is just really, really busy with other things. In this situation, I find it helpful to set some parameters around decision-making: what does she want to decide/input/veto? What outcome is she looking for? And then, Speed Racer, you’re off! Be proactive about asking for feedback, give her all the info that she needs upfront and ask for regular check-ins. I like the Effective Manager framework
If this is you as a manager: I know that your inbox is overflowing and you have about eleventy billion things to do and fires to put out, but if you don’t make the time to coach and manage your team, things will run off the rails pretty quickly. I used to be of the opinion that you should hire good people and get out of their way. I started to realize how bad that strategy was when staff culture and staff behavior started to spin out of control. That’s like saying: just marry the right person and you’ll never have to work at the relationship or take them out on date nights ever again! Care for and nurture your people and they will take care of you.
A last note to my nonprofit peeps: I know we all look to hire “self-starters” who “take the initiative.” Often that just translates into “I want someone who needs no training and supervision and can magically intuit what I want and just do it.” Good luck with that. Hiring self-starters does not excuse us from the work of leading and managing. Sorry.
I know that nobody goes to work intending to be a bad boss or a bad employee, but without self-awareness and active self-regulation, bosses can turn a good employee into a disgruntled one pretty quickly.
Rhea has 15 years in the nonprofit sector, 12 as an Executive Director of a growing nonprofit. She’s made all the mistakes and can keep you from making the same ones. She is a consultant who is obsessed with creating healthy work cultures and environments where people can do their best work. rheawong.com
