Bad Boss My Boss... Ten Term Paper

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Projecting higher expectations: A "bad boss" has not developed positive dynamics with all his/her subordinates.

Four key principles, on the other hand, identify practices a "good boss" implements:

Be clear up front

Get to know the individuals

Beware of labeling

Monitor ongoing evaluations

In the article, "How to spot the boss from hell Classic signs of a Mr. Nasty," Oliver Finegold's (2005) notes that a current study "details the 10 signs of a bad boss - from having complete disregard for employees' need for a life away from work to delegating the toughest tasks." (Finegold, 2005) also relates characteristics of a good boss, which include expressing reasonable expectations from teams, along with being positive Findings from a survey of 1000 workers by the Good Boss Company consultancy group note that approximately one in four employees identified their boss to be "bad" or " dreadful." More than two thirds of the participants surveyed reported their bosses had publicly humiliated and/or bullied them. Some bosses established impossible deadlines and then when the employee could not meet them, set them up to "feel worthless and angry."

Key findings from this study include:

Six out of 10 people with a bad boss have looked for a new job, just to escape them Almost 70 per cent of workers regularly criticise their boss to their colleagues.

Only one per cent are made to feel proud and wanted.

Bad bosses mean more absenteeism. More than a third of staff admitted to "sickies."

Staff have some sympathy with their tormentors; almost half believe their bad bosses haven't had enough training to do their jobs, while a third concede they are overworked. (Finegold, 2005)

This study notes that a "good boss" and contributes to employees feeling positive about their organization, as well as their role in the business. On the other hand, a "bad boss" can contribute to devastating employees' morale. Andrea Gregory and Lisa Smale, the reports' authors, state that managers are failing British workers. "A simple change in attitude that sees more bosses willing to listen, support and develop their teams will increase employees' motivation to do a good job." (Finegold, 2005)

Finegold (2005) notes: The Worst or "Bad Boss"...

Leaves things to the last minute.

Provides little or no direction.

Goes for easy, quick-fix solutions.

Keeps changing decisions.

Is stressed by a lack of organizational skills.

Disregards work-life balance.

Is poor at identifying problems.

Provides no career options.

Over-commits the team.

Delegates difficult and unpleasant tasks. (Finegold, 2005)

While the best or "good boss":

1. "Defend team when necessary.

2. Do not let personal life affect work.

3. Give credit where it is due.

4. Support career development.

5. Always support team members.

6. Are cheerful and positive.

7. Are gently persuasive.

8. Challenge decisions with which they disagree.

9. Face up to difficulties.

10. Have reasonable expectations." (Finegold, 2005)

In regard to a "good boss," he/she "like low-fat diet and plenty of exercise are not the only ways to ward off heart trouble. Having a fair-minded boss who takes the trouble to listen can also help, scientists have found." In fact, a study of British male civil servants finds that individuals who feel positive about "justice at work" were determined to experience approximately 1/3 lower rate developing heart disease than individuals and who contend they were not treated fairly. ("A good boss..., 2005) Lawson (2005) reports that surveys indicate that approximately half of workers have "a shaky, if not downright miserable, relationship with their supervisors." A recent Gallup poll notes that an employee having a bad relationship with the boss is the "number one reason for quitting a job. Supervisor problems outpace all other areas of worker dissatisfaction, including salary, work hours or day-to-day duties." The Gallup report emphatically states: "Employees leave supervisors, not companies."

Lawson (2005) posits that a worker's health is also impacted by the way he/she feels about his/her boss. Nadia Wager, a psychologist at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College in the U.K. agrees and documented an open old adage: "Hatred for the boss makes the blood boil," as she notes the way employees feel about their bosses affects physical health. From a study of hospital workers, Wager found that nurses working for hospital supervisors with poor management styles, whose bosses also lacked respect, sensitivity and/or fairness, all experienced dramatically higher blood pressure during the day than individuals who worked for bosses, judged to be empathetic and sensitive.

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Nurses with "bad bosses" have been found to experience approximately 20% higher risk of heart disease. Bosses possess this invisible power, Lawson (2005) reports Annie McKee, a workplace coach and cochair of the Teleos Leadership Institute in Philadelphia to state, as humans are particularly sensitive to each other's emotional cues, even those beneath the surface. "Emotions are literally contagious. In the case of an unhappy boss, it's easy to pick up the negativity, the insecurity, the stress that he is spreading around." (Lawson, 2005) Intimate partnerships and power relationships are particularly susceptible to emotional contagion, Richard Boyatzis, coauthor with McKee of the new book Resoneadership and also a professor of organizational psychology at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, explains:

In romantic relationships, emotions are symbiotic. If one partner is feeling bad, the other suffers. One person's good mood can give the other a lift, too. But between boss and employee, emotion tends to flow in one direction -- downhill. A supervisor's negativity pools with employees bike stagnant water. (Lawson, 2005)

When an employee works for a productive, boss, Boyatzism a former psychotherapist who diagnoses leadership problems in major companies, as well as in the federal government, says. (Lawson, 2005) When an employee works for a negative or bad boss," both the employee and the organization are brought down. To counter the "bad boss," scenario, Boyatzis (Lawson, 2005) also suggests that employees attempt to establish an emotional connection that doesn't focus on the latest project or deadline. She encourages employees to discover what their boss loves in general and talk to him/her about what's going on. Simply listening to an individual talk about their dreams and that use helps a person understand them." In regard to a "good boss," he/she "like low-fat diet and plenty of exercise are not the only ways to ward off heart trouble. Having a fair-minded boss who takes the trouble to listen can also help, scientists have found." In fact, a study of British male civil servants finds that individuals who feel positive about "justice at work" were determined to experience approximately 1/3 lower rate developing heart disease than individuals and who contend they were not treated fairly. ("A good boss..., 2005) Lawson (2005) reports that surveys indicate that approximately half of workers have "a shaky, if not downright miserable, relationship with their supervisors." A recent Gallup poll notes that an employee having a bad relationship with the boss is the "number one reason for quitting a job. Supervisor problems outpace all other areas of worker dissatisfaction, including salary, work hours or day-to-day duties." The Gallup report emphatically states: "Employees leave supervisors, not companies."

Lawson (2005) posits that a worker's health is also impacted by the way he/she feels about his/her boss. Nadia Wager, a psychologist at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College in the U.K. agrees and documented an open old adage: "Hatred for the boss makes the blood boil," as she notes the way employees feel about their bosses affects physical health. From a study of hospital workers, Wager found that nurses working for hospital supervisors with poor management styles, whose bosses also lacked respect; sensitivity and/or fairness, all experienced dramatically higher blood pressure during the day than individuals who worked for bosses, judged to be

Nurses with "bad bosses" have been found to experience approximately 20% higher risk of heart disease. Bosses possess this invisible power, Lawson (2005) reports Annie McKee, a workplace coach and cochair of the Teleos Leadership Institute in Philadelphia to state, as humans are particularly sensitive to each other's emotional cues, even those beneath the surface. "Emotions are literally contagious. In the case of an unhappy boss, it's easy to pick up the negativity, the insecurity, the stress that he is spreading around." (Lawson, 2005) Intimate partnerships and power relationships are particularly susceptible to emotional contagion, Richard Boyatzis, coauthor with McKee of the new book Resoneadership and also a professor of organizational psychology at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, explains:

In romantic relationships, emotions are symbiotic. If one partner is feeling bad, the other suffers. One person's good mood can give the other a lift, too. But between boss and employee, emotion tends to flow in one direction -- downhill. A supervisor's negativity pools with employees bike stagnant water. (Lawson, 2005)

When an employee works for a productive boss, Boyatzism a former psychotherapist who diagnoses leadership problems in major companies, as well as in.....

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