Bad Bosses

The main job of bosses is to lead by example. If you cannot talk the talk and walk the walk, there is probably a chance you should not be in charge. This is certainly the case with my boss. I will not say names, nor will I say where I work on campus, but he displays questionable leadership skills on a daily basis and truly makes me question the hierarchy and why some people are hired to do jobs they are so obviously inept at completing. 

One article I found in relation to this is Three Types of Bosses That Should Be Fired. While I'm not saying my boss should be fired, it's an interesting piece that describes three types of managerial styles that do not mesh with the workplace. One in particular that applies to my boss is titled "The has-been". The has-been is someone who was hired and acted highly effectively, until something happened and he or she started to become less and less effective in that position of power.

This certainly applies to my boss. He started out strong; he was new in September, in from another school where he received multiple awards and certifications. At his former place of employment he was in charge of five staff members, where he did a fantastic job and was seen as the go-getter. Now he is in charge of almost twenty. The big difference, however, is not the leap from five to twenty staff members but that he still acts as if he is in charge of only five people. When discussing policy and other pertinent topics he constantly mentions what they used to do at his old school. He fails to realize that not every idea that works at a school of 500 students will work at a school of 5,000 students. He started out with new and  fresh ideas but failed to follow through with them when it came time to enact them. He originally turned up to meetings on time but now he consistently shows up late or blows them off altogether. Whenever we turn our paperwork in late or miss a meeting though we get a laughable reminder of how our responsibilities must be taken seriously. 

Sometimes my staff and I will question why something was not done. The response we get? "Oh, I was too lazy to go downstairs to the office and get that", or "Oh, I forgot". Emails go unanswered. Requests are forgotten. I asked my boss to place an order in early October and it was not ordered until mid-November. It is as if he is still pretending that he works at his former institution and that if he ignores us we will all go away. 

Far too often, we find these types of bosses. The ones who ignore. Forget. Pretend like they care but when it comes time to follow through, fail to do so. While in my boss' case it seems to be because of failure to adjust to the demanding workload at FSU, one cannot help wonder just why these people are kept in this position of power if they are so ineffective. If I was responsible for so much resentment and disorganization, I would gladly either readjust my methods, or resign from that position altogether and find a place where my level of dedication matched the needs of the people I am leading. These "bad bosses" must realize that their action, or inaction, directly influences the behavior of the staff they lead, the harmony of the business they are employed in, and the outlook people have on their leadership style.