{"id":17311,"date":"2012-07-23T04:00:37","date_gmt":"2012-07-23T09:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=17311"},"modified":"2012-07-23T04:00:37","modified_gmt":"2012-07-23T09:00:37","slug":"the-value-of-working-for-a-bad-boss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/the-value-of-working-for-a-bad-boss\/","title":{"rendered":"The Value of Working for a Bad Boss"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve had more than twenty bosses in my career. I worked well with nearly all of them. But surprisingly, I learned the most from the worst ones.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com\/mediaphotos<\/div>\n

The truth is that most of my supervisors were average. Sadly, I really can’t remember much about them.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

One was exceptional and became a role model. He took responsibility when things went badly. He gave others credit when things went well. He exuded integrity and became a close friend.<\/p>\n

One boss was just plain incompetent. He was a nice guy but burned up and checked out. He couldn’t seem to do anything right. I think he retired mentally two years before the company let his body go. I was embarrassed to tell anyone I worked for him.<\/p>\n

Two others were downright sinister if not evil. These were the bad bosses.<\/p>\n

They could be kind and charming one minute and then—an hour later—mean, paranoid, and vindictive. Though I tried hard to stay out of the line-of-fire, they both skewered me on a few occasions.<\/p>\n

Though I hated working for them at the time, I wouldn’t trade what I learned for anything.<\/p>\n

Reality is that you don’t usually get to choose your boss. Sure, you can quit. But most bosses aren’t so bad that you would actually leave the company over them.<\/p>\n

They are more like a low-grade headache. You learn to live with them. Besides, if you quit, you’ll miss some important lessons that will help you become a better leader.<\/p>\n

Here are twenty random lessons I learned from bad bosses.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Everyone on the team matters. No one deserves to be treated poorly. <\/li>\n
  2. Bosses create an emotional climate with their attitudes and behaviors.<\/li>\n
  3. The higher up you are, the more people “read into” everything you say and do. Stuff gets amplified as it moves downstream.<\/li>\n
  4. A word of encouragement can literally make someone’s week. Conversely, a harsh word can ruin it.<\/li>\n
  5. Hire the right people then trust them to do their job.<\/li>\n
  6. Don’t ever intentionally embarrass people in front of their boss, their peers, or their direct reports.<\/li>\n
  7. Don’t attack people personally. Instead, focus on their performance.<\/li>\n
  8. Get both sides of the story before you take action.<\/li>\n
  9. Tell the truth; then you don’t have to remember what you said.<\/li>\n
  10. Give people room to fail and don’t rub their noses in it when they do.<\/li>\n
  11. Be quick to forgive and give the benefit of the doubt.<\/li>\n
  12. Measure twice, cut once.<\/li>\n
  13. Don’t ever ask your people to do something you are unwilling to do yourself.<\/li>\n
  14. Respect other people’s time, especially those under you.<\/li>\n
  15. Don’t believe all the nice things people say about you.<\/li>\n
  16. Follow-through on your commitments, even when it is inconvenient or expensive.<\/li>\n
  17. Don’t be ambitious to get promoted. Instead, focus on serving and doing a great job.<\/li>\n
  18. Be responsive to everyone at every level. You never know who may be your next boss.<\/li>\n
  19. Keep confidences. Make no exceptions.<\/li>\n
  20. Do not complain about your boss to anyone who is not part of the solution. If you can’t keep from complaining, then have the integrity to quit.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    You can learn from anyone. If you don’t work for a great leader, don’t despair. Some of the lessons that impact you the most will come from the leaders who impressed you the least.<\/p>\n

    Question: What lessons have you learned from a bad boss or leader? You can leave a comment by clicking here<\/a>.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I’ve had more than twenty bosses in my career. I worked well with nearly all of them. But surprisingly, I learned the most from the worst ones. Here are a few of the lessons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":17310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[586,1109,1260,587,1261,220],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Value of Working for a Bad Boss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I\u2019ve had more than twenty bosses in my career. I worked well with nearly all of them. But surprisingly, I learned the most from the worst ones. 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