1)What Makes the Workplace a Great Place to Be?

Toxic Bosses

Pre-Talk

1)What makes the workplace a great place to be?

2)Which would you quit over more, dealing with bad colleagues or a bad boss?

3)Would you follow your boss to the next job should they leave?

PictureTalk

1)Is it bad to be a “boss” based on the above?

2)Can we be both a “boss” and a “leader” at the same time?

3)Should we refer our boss as our leader now?

Article Highlights

Sourced from

Google recently conducted one of the most thorough studies of management behavior ever completed by a large corporation. Eight qualities were identified in top-performing managers. Ironically, the opposite behavior of these traits are the direct acts of a toxic boss, though most toxic bosses are clueless they even have a problem. If you're a manager, take a minute to see how many of these sound like you:

1. You find yourself frustrated when you have to coach an employee on a skill. Google's study showed top managers are highly rated by employees for their coaching skills.

2. You feel you must double-check every employee's work. This is a form of micro-managing and is considered a very toxic trait.

3. You have no desire to know anything about your employees other than whether they're doing their job right. Emotional intelligence is considered one of the highest predictors of success as a manager. Caring is vital to earning trust and respect.

4. You feel constantly behind and split in too many directions. Appearing out of control and unable to stay on top of your work is a sign of poor self-management. If you can't manage your own effectiveness and productivity, you can't expect others to do much better.

5. You'd rather stay in your office than converse with your team. Antisocial tendencies are a sign of someone who feels like a poor communicator.

6. You feel your employees' career growth should be their concern, not yours. Investing in the success of your staff builds loyalty and employee retention. It also makes your employees more valuable to you.

7. You can't plan for the growth of the department because you can't imagine ever hitting your existing goals with your current team. Good managers always have a well-articulated vision for growth to convey to the team as a way to motivate them.

8. You hate that some of your staff have skills that force you to depend on them, because you don't have those skills yourself. The best managers know their owns strengths and don't feel threatened by the strengths of those on their team.

If you answered "yes" to one or more of the items above, it's likely you're seen as a less effective leader, and maybe even a toxic boss.

Discussion

1. Do you feel frustrated when you have to coach employees? Why (so)?
2. What do you do when you have to constantly double check your employees work?
3. Is it important to get to know your employees outside the job? Why (not)?
4. Do you think the boss’ job is to monitor employees or is something else?
5. Would you keep your door open or closed throughout the day?
6. How do you monitor your employee’s career path?
7. Does your team take 2 steps backwards and 1 step forward or the opposite?
8. How do you feel about hiring someone smarter than you?