BrainTrust Query: What to Do With the Boss From Hell?
Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is a summary of a current article from Retail Contrarian, the blog of the Dynamic Experiences Group.
Last week, I received an anonymous e-mail from a store staff. They said that their owner/manager, a regular reader of my newsletters, is in their own words, "The boss from hell."
They shared some of their reasons for bestowing the title and asked me to try to help them.
Here are five factors that can lead you to become the retail boss from hell, with a comment from an employee on each one, as well as my insight.
1. Always focus on what's wrong. "I could do 99 things right and one thing wrong, and he/she will go straight to what I did wrong."
2. Never pay a compliment. "I could count on one hand the number of times I've been complimented in the last year. Even those compliments are followed up with what I did wrong."
DF comment: These two go hand in hand. I think most owners and managers are always trying to improve their staff and store, but if you're not careful you can come across as focusing only on the negative. People need to hear what they're doing well, and receive feedback on what they can do better. The leader's goal should be to deliver both so well the staff doesn't notice the difference between the two.
3. Get mad at your staff, but don't tell them what's wrong. "Honestly, my boss sulks and pouts more than my child does."
DF comment: Sometimes owners and managers are under a lot of stress and can withdraw a little bit. The staff often assumes the person is mad at them. Our job is to lead and inspire people through thick and thin. You have to set aside the issues.
4. Talk about employees to others. "I don't know which is worse — when the boss talks to me about other employees or wondering what he/she is saying about me to others."
DF comment: Gossip can kill a team. If you need to talk about others, talk to your spouse or your pet.
5. Won't delegate anything, but then complains about having to do everything. "We'd be happy to help. He/she just won't let us."
DF comment: We must delegate. Not only does it engage our staff and give them ownership in the business, it frees us up to spend time developing our people and growing the business. But if you're not going to delegate, don't complain how tired you are or that you can't get a day off. Delegation is a choice.
Any manager can fall into any one of these traps from time to time. But when they become a habit, or we're engaging in several of them at once, we're having a negative impact the staff and, ultimately, store results. You also get labeled "The boss from hell."