I recently shared 9 signs that your boss is an ineffective leader. This list picks up the same thread, with a focus on a boss who mismanages his or her own time – and yours.
Here are 11 signs your boss is an ineffective leader:
- Your boss calls you every five minutes to discuss items that could easily be handled via email.
- Your boss asks you to come to his office every hour to discuss items that could be handled via email or phone.
- Your boss is focused more on the latest gossip than generating revenue for the organization.
- Your boss disappears for hours at a time, and no one knows where she is.
- Your boss is away from the office for days at a time and does not bother to inform her direct reports of her absence.
- Your boss picks his nose during meetings.
- Your boss answers personal telephone calls during business meetings.
- Your boss appoints committees but micromanages everything they do and changes their plans mid-stream.
- Your boss calls or texts you afterhours to discuss random ideas that make no sense and could easily wait until the next business day.
- You send email messages to your boss, but he always responds via telephone because he does not want a paper trail.
- You meet with your boss about an important topic – and take copious notes – and later he denies some of the decisions that he made.
The good news:
If your boss recognizes that he or she exhibits these signs (and those from the previous list), there is hope for him or her. This person can change.
The bad news:
If your boss exhibits most of these signs and still wants you to nominate him or her for “boss of the year,” you may have a big problem on your hands. While it is difficult to master organizational leadership, there are some who are completely ineffective.
No one is looking for a perfect leader. However, most of us just want to be treated the way our bosses would want their bosses to treat them.
I know you have some items you can add to this list. How about it? What are other signs of ineffective leaders?
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