The BAD BOSS:

Impact on Future Generations

Osama Tabbara
Objectives

1. To improve self awareness

2. To improve social awareness
• If you are a BAD BOSS, people easily recognize you
 Objectives

• To share with you 20 characteristics of A BAD BOSS

• SCORE:
• 0-9/20: TOXIC BOSS – prone to damage the culture of the organization
• 9-12/20: BAD BOSS- little chance to improve
• 13 – 15/20: Evolving Leader – prone to be a great leader
• 16-20/20: Great Leader / Servant and Multiplier Leader
The Bright Side of Working with a
BAD BOSS

•Exposure to inefficient
leadership

•Learn to perform the

opposite
 FACT

• Half of your life at work

• With a BAD BOSS, it is determined

under an atmosphere of STRESS and
MISERY
What is being Said About
a BAD BOSS

“A Bad Job With a Good Boss Is Better Than

a Good Job With a Bad Boss”

“A bad boss can take a good staff and

destroy it, causing the best employees to
escape and the remainder to lose all
motivation.”

“A Bad Boss creates FEAR and makes work

a torture”
 •A BAD BOSS lies to you on his past
rich achievements to create a better
image on how great he is!
1. A Bad
Boss Lies
 Score yourself

I lie a lot I lie sometimes I don’t Lie

0 0.5 1
 2. A Bad The Bad Boss never
fight for the betterment
Boss
of his people.
Doesn’t
Fight for
his People He fights for the
betterment of himself!
 Score yourself

I fight for mylsef I sometimes fight I always fight for the

for my people right my people
0 0.5 1
 3. A BAD BOSS
is Selfish

“A Bad Boss would throw you

under the bus in a heartbeat
to make himself look good”
 Score yourself

It is about me and It is about my

It is about me others poeple
0
0.5 1
 4. A BAD BOSS
Micromanages
• Admits he is a micromanager!
• He wastes your time and fosters anxiety!

• Why?
• Does not believe in people’s talent
• Doesn’t know how to TRUST
• No courage to delegation

• ends up with micromanaging and diminishing his

people by daily routine work not the meaningful
work where they can make a difference.
 Score yourself

I admit I am a I am occasionally a I am not a

micromanager micromanager micromanager
0 0.5 1
5. A BAD BOSS Blames
• Calls you to his office just to blame
you!

• Intends to always give negative

feedback to a project or assignment.

• May lie to lay the blame of his own

failure on you, your colleagues or
anybody else.
 Score yourself

I blame others if I I sometimes blame I just blame myself

fail others if I fail and recover
0 0.5 1
 6. A BAD BOSS is a
DIMINISHER

• Calls you to his office just to spend

30 minutes telling you how great
he is!!!

• Claims he knows everything!

 Score yourself

I am an accidental I am not a
I am a diminisher diminisher diminisher
0
0.5 1
 7. A BAD BOSS Creates
Mafia Teamwork
• Labels people & creates blacklist

• Initiates games to set you up to

failure
• Either me
• Either you like me or out!
 Score yourself

I have my own I sometimes create I am not a mafia

mafia a mafia person
0 0.5 1
 8. A BAD BOSS
Fosters Gossips
• People always gossip about
the poor performance of a
BAD BOSS
• Creating a toxic
environment.
 Score yourself

I spread gossips I occasionally I rarely gossip

gossip
0 0.5 1
9. A BAD BOSS Communicates Poorly

•Intends to
communicate poorly
ending up with lack
of clear expectations.
 Score yourself

I don’t I frequently
I always
communicate communicate
communicate
what I know what I know
1
0 0.5
10. A BAD BOSS Spreads
Culture of Conflict
• Stimulates conflict
either directly or
creates a climate
which encourages
employees to fight.
 Score yourself

I sometimes I don’t create

I contribute to contribute to conflict
conflicts 0 conflict
0.5 1
 11. A BAD BOSS Yells and Bullies

•Creates a hostile workplace

environment by choosing not to
see the conflict or the bullying
that takes place.

•Occasionally bullying his best

people!!
Refer to the book “when smart people work for dumb bosses”
 Score yourself

I yell I rarely yell I don’t yell

0 0.5 1
 12. A BAD BOSS is not Authentic

•Always pretends to be real.

•People are smart enough to

• identify the bad actor
• sense the authentic, non-fake
and caring leader.
 Score yourself

I occasionally I rarely act I don’t act

act
0 0.5 1
13. A BAD BOSS: His Personal Agenda Prevails

•Transforms the
organizational goals to
his own personal goal.
 Score yourself

I sometimes have No personal

I have personal my personal agenda
agenda 0 agenda
0.5 1
 14. A BAD BOSS Disrespects his People

• Treats his people poorly

• Gets poor results...
 Score yourself

I sometimes treat I rarely treat my I don’t treat my

my people poorly people poorly people poorly
0 0.5 1
 15. A BAD BOSS Cares for Credits

• Takes the credits of his

people.

• Intends to take their work

and present them when they
are absent or away.
 Score yourself

Occasionally caring I don’t care for

My credit is first
for my credits credits
0
0.5 1
16. A BAD BOSS Dominates Meetings

• Dominates a meeting
and conversation

• Interrupts and shuts

down ideas
 Score yourself

I occasionally
I dominate the I don’t dominate the
dominate the
meetings meeting
meetings
0 1
0.5
 17. BAD BOSS Always Puts Pressure

• Uses his power thoughtlessly

and puts pressure, fear and
hierarchy to motivate or to
threat!

• Always frightened of losing

his power!
 Score yourself

I sometimes create I don’t create

I create pressure
pressure pressure
0
0.5 1
18. A BAD BOSS Only
Focuses on Results • Focuses on outcome
without any
considerations to
the efforts!

• Tolerates poor
behavior if the
result is Ok!
 Score yourself

Sometimes results Balance between

Results and only only result and efforts
0
0.5 1
 19. A BAD BOSS Can’t Lead with Gratitude
• Thanking people conveys weakness

• Feels so important and so busy thus “there is

just no time”

• Believes that you are just lucky to have a job

and having the job is the only gratitude he can
offer

• Recognizes his people in front of others just to

take credit that he values his employee
 Score yourself

I don’t lead with I sometimes lead I always lead with

gratitude with gratitude gratitude
0 0.5 1
20. A BAD BOSS Practices • “fear is the best
motivator”
Fear-Based Management
• Believes that praise
relieves the pressure

• Fear makes people

work harder for short
term but causes
prolonged stress and
combativeness in long
term
 Score yourself

I practice fear I sometimes practice No fear management

management fear management
0 0.5 1
 • Creates STRESS & FEAR putting the
employee at poor health status

• Employee sick calls increase significantly

with a Bad Boss. Ask HR!
The Impact by
• BAD BOSS was actually more of a risk
Evidence factor for heart disease than smoking,
lack of exercise, or being overweight

• Raises a worker’s chance of having a

heart attack by as much as 60 %
 Leadership Lesson
•Just love what you do…
Love the great people
around you, Love your
Patient!
•Love your company
only through what you
love to do
Life Learning Leadership Lesson

•You never know when

your next boss is a
TOXIC BOSS

•They often leaves in 2-

3 years
Difficult Roads Often Lead
to Beautiful
Destinations...
 RESULTS

• SCORE:
• 0 - 9/20: TOXIC BOSS – prone to damage the culture of the organization
• 9 - 12/20: BAD BOSS- little chance to improve
• 13 – 15/20: Evolving Leader – prone to be a great leader
• 16 - 20/20: Great Leader / Servant and Multiplier Leader