TOP STORIES TOP VIDEOS NEWSLETTERS LEAD INNOVATE GROW

REAL TALK
PRODUCTIVITY

Here's Why Ineffective Bosses Are

Steve Case on How to Close the Investment
Gap

SAFEGUARDS
So Hard to Fire, According to
Warren Buffett Did you ever wonder why some
Reopening? Learn How to Help Your
Employees Feel Safe Psychologically

REAL TALK bosses who are beyond terrible stay in their position way
Even in Tough Times, Daymond John Sees
the Glass as 'Over-Full'
too long and good employees don't? Here's why.
BY SYLVIA LAFAIR, PRESIDENT, CREATIVE ENERGY OPTIONS @SYLVIALAFAIR
MARKETING

Why Brands' Black Lives Matter Statements

Can So Easily Go Wrong

THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Without a Restaurant Bailout, Celeb Chefs

Warn, Local Economies Will Crumble

LEAD

For Black Founders, Racial Injustice Isn't

New. Here's a Path Forward

We updated our Privacy Policy as of February 24, 2020. Learn about our personal information collection practices here.

Warren Bu ett. Getty Images

We're supposed to look up to our leaders? Right?

Leaders are the ones who make or break a company, so the lingo goes. Then why
are there so many bully bosses and weak and ine ective people at the head of lots of
organizations?

We all know the list. Great leaders are visionaries, they are empathetic, they have high-level
emotional intelligence, they know how to engage others, they create collaboration, they
know how to form a kick-ass team.

At a deep emotional level, great leaders are those we all wish were our parents. They are
kind, caring, supportive, yet not pushovers.

So why are there so many creepy, cowardly, vindictive, and just plain nasty bosses in power
positions? And how, in heaven's name, can they stay at the top of the totem pole for as
long as they want?

Grab a copy of the following lms to watch, lest you forget how bad, bad bosses can be.
Remember Michael Douglas as the ruthless boss in Wall Street, whose motto was "Greed is
good." Or Meryl Streep as the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine that has employees
feeling scared and helpless in The Devil Wears Prada. And those three icons, Jane Fonda, Lily
Tomlin, and Dolly Parton, who took on their misogynist boss in 9 to 5.

The main behavioral types of bad leaders include:

Persecutor/bullies These egotistical, narcissistic, controlling individuals live to

intimidate and make people feel less than worthy. They are loud and in your
face and don't care who hears their snorting and berating.
Avoiders When con ict shows up, these folks are gone with the wind. They
have great excuses for needing to leave the scene as soon as tempers air and
anxiety hits a high note. They tell underlings to gure it out, to not bother
them with the details.
Super achievers Always the smartest people in the room, they let you know
they are special, unique, and have all the answers. They don't care what you
have to say--they know better.
Splitters These leaders pit people against one another and have pet names for
the yes-men and -women and nasty monikers for anyone who dares dispute
what the emperor says, even when he is stark naked.

Here's what Warren Bu ett, one of the smartest businessmen around, says about why these
types have such staying power:

The supreme irony of business

management is that it is far easier for an
inadequate CEO to keep his job than it is
for an inadequate subordinate. A CEO who
doesn't perform is frequently carried
inde nitely. One reason is that
performance standards for his job seldom
exist. Another important, but seldom
recognized, distinction between the boss
and the foot soldier is that the CEO has no
immediate superior whose performance
itself is getting measured. Finally, relations
between the Board and the CEO are
expected to be congenial. At Board
meetings, criticism of the CEO's
performance is often viewed as the social
equivalent of belching. No such inhibitions
restrain the o ce manager from critically
evaluating the substandard typist.

So there you have it.

What to do? We are in an era when the demands on people to tell the truth are getting
stronger and stronger. You now can see the patterns and the reasons bad bosses stay, from a
very smart man, Warren Bu ett. Now it's time for you, yes you, to speak out if you are
living with a boss who either needs to go away or needs some deep down coaching.

What is exciting about today's world is that there is more room to speak out than there
was in the past. It's about you, it's about me, and it's about time.

JAN 9, 2018

Like this column? Sign up to subscribe to email alerts and you'll never miss a post.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

PEAK PERFORMANCE PRESENTED BY WHOOP

WELLNESS

How to Lead Through

Employee Mental Health Issues
During Covid

PEAK PERFORMANCE

How These Highly

Successful People Tap Into
Better Sleep

OWNER'S MANUAL PRODUCTIVITY

A Busy Person's Guide to More How Reggie Watts Became a Top

Performer by Breaking All the Rules of
(and Better) Sleep

OWNER'S MANUAL
Success
Research Reveals a Link
Between a Higher Income and
Exercise

Browse Full Collection

SPONSORED BUSINESS CONTENT

PRIVACY POLICY NOTICE OF COLLECTION DO NOT SELL MY DATA AD VENDOR POLICY TERMS OF USE ADVERTISE HELP CENTER SITEMAP

COPYRIGHT 2020 MANSUETO VENTURES