If you go to work afraid to make a mistake instead of excited about the possibilities to accomplish great things, you are working for a weak manager. They care about staying in control and keeping people off balance. Weak managers do not care about the relationships they have with the people on their teams. You could do 99% of your job perfectly, but a weak manager will find the 1% that could have been better, and shove your face in it. Strong managers reinforce the great things their teammates do. Weak Managers Tell You What You're Doing Wrong, Instead of What You're Doing Right Weak managers are inflexible - it's their way or the highway! If indeed you are unclear about something you need to know on the job, a good manager will take the opportunity to fill you in or point you to someone who can. Weak managers don't want their authority to be questioned, so when you offer a new idea, a weak manager may say "I already thought of that" or "You don't know how the system works." A strong manager will listen to you and ask you more questions so that they understand what you're proposing and how it might help the team. If you make a sensible suggestion to a poor manager, he or she is likely to ignore it or find a way to put you down. That process will help you grow your muscles! Sometimes when you work for a manager who isn't a good leader now and isn't interested in getting better, you might have to look for a new job inside or outside of your company. Some managers will be grateful for your feedback and others won't. You can help him or her get stronger by being honest with your manager in a polite way. Here are seven signs your boss is a weak leader. You don't learn to be a leader by telling other people what they need to improve on without looking in the mirror at your own learning needs and working on those, too.
They don't bark out orders.Īnyone who is interested in learning how to lead can do it, but the openness to learning is the essential factor. They ask the experts on the ground - meaning the people who work alongside them as teammates - what to do when there's a question to be answered or a problem to be solved. It's a new day, and strong leaders are people who listen more than they talk.
Land a great job, handle your boss and get ahead today.