Toxic bosses: 11 characteristics that define them
What do bosses who drive their employees out of their minds look like?
Let's face it, there are few individuals who are passionate about going to work and who thoroughly enjoy what they do.Are you one of those who can't stand going to work? Welcome to the club... because you are not alone. If it's hard enough to get up in the morning to quickly grab some toast and rush off to the office, if you have a boss who makes sure that the workplace is as close to hell as possible, life becomes very hard.
There are many types of bossesand I'm sure that throughout your life you've come across one that has made your life miserable. Today we are going to talk about toxic bossesthose bosses that we don't want to see even in paint.
Toxic bosses negatively affect the well-being of employees.
The relationship between superiors and subordinates has been the subject of several studies in the workplace, and organizational psychologists have been interested in this relationship for many reasons, but mainly because a good relationship between bosses and employees increases productivity and company results.. It is no less important to know that, although many companies do not pay due attention to this phenomenon, the leadership style of superiors affects the well-being of employees.
The well-being of employees is also closely related to company results.. That is why organizations should take special care when assessing this variable, because stress and labor unrest, among other causes, can be the result of a toxic relationship between these actors.
A toxic leadership style and poor leadership skills on the part of superiors can lead to phenomena such as role conflict, role ambiguity or role overload, which in turn can lead to negative feelings in employees: such as wanting to leave the company or having a poor sense of belonging to the company.
Transformational leadership for improved employee well-being
The organizational world has undergone major changes in the last three decades due to globalization, and stress has become a very serious problem for companies. The crisis has created really complicated situations for workers, who have had to adapt to a new situation.They have had to adapt to the changes and to a less secure working environment. Not to say that their expectations are very different from those of just a few years ago, as are their needs.
Studies suggest that one of the leadership styles that best fits the current times is transformational leadership. transformational leadership. Transformational leaders use high levels of communication to achieve objectives and bring a vision of change that they are able to convey to employees. They are great motivators and increase the productivity of the workers under their charge. With their charisma they have a great impact on their subordinates and gain their trust, respect and admiration. The opposite of toxic bosses.
Recommended article: "Types of Leadership: The 5 most common types of leaders".
Four out of ten bosses are toxic
And there are more toxic bosses than we think. At least that's what you can read in the newspaper El Mundoin one of its articles echoed a statement that appears in the book, New management for dummies. According to this text, four out of 10 bosses are toxic.
In addition, in the same newspaper there is a list of five toxic boss profiles that, according to Ana María Castillo and Juan Carlos Cubeiro, two renowned professionals with extensive experience in the university and business fieldsaccording to Ana María Castillo and Juan Carlos Cubeiro, two renowned professionals with extensive experience in the university and business fields, create a bad working environment and negatively affect employees. They are the following:
- The harasser or bullycharacterized by humiliating his subordinates and giving orders abusing his power.
- The micro-detailerwho is incapable of delegating because he thinks that no one is up to the task.
- The workaholicwho thinks that work shifts are 24 hours long.
- The all-number cruncherwho only values economic results.
- The favoritismwho is neither fair nor impartial.
Characteristics of a toxic boss
But what are the common characteristics of toxic bosses? These are the 11 characteristic traits of bosses who have lost their sense of fairness.
1. They are arrogant and do not communicate well.
Toxic bosses are arrogant and do not communicate well with their subordinates.. They think they are always right and expect others to accept their words just because they are the boss.
2. They do not take into account the needs of the employees.
Bosses who have lost the sense of their role in the company never take into account the needs of the employees, because they only think about the numbers.They only think about numbers. They are not aware that the workers are the engine of the company and, therefore, they must be taken care of.
3. They are autocratic
Toxic bosses only allow them to make decisions and set guidelines without the and set the guidelines without the participation of the group. They are the ones who concentrate all the power and nobody challenges their decisions.
4. They are easily irritable
Bad bosses have little patience and are easily irritated.. Since they are not open to the ideas of others, they do not want to be bothered. Toxic bosses are not aware that the real wealth of their organization is its human capital.
5. They are inflexible
Toxic bosses are mentally closed and panic-stricken about change.They are not very innovative. The lack of innovation, in most occasions, hinders the adaptation to the modern market and, therefore, the progress of the organization.
6. They are too controlling
This type of bosses control too much. That is why, by supervising each and every task performed by their subordinates, they undermine their creative capacity.
7. They lack self-confidence
They may appear to be self-confident, but the reality is that they are not.. A confident leader is not afraid to delegate when necessary, nor is he or she afraid to value the opinions of the group. Their insecurity makes them toxic bosses.
8. They have unrealistic expectations
Toxic bosses have unrealistic expectationsThey tend to demand more than they should from their employees. Not only that, but they are unappreciative when others do well, since they only focus on the negative.
9. They discriminate
Bosses without style are full of prejudices.. In fact, they tend to have a sexist and racist mentality, in addition to other discriminatory behaviors.
10. Poor time management
Planning, both work and time, is essential when leading teams, as it can be a source of stress if not done correctly. One of the problems of toxic bosses is the inability to manage and prioritize their time in a correct and effective way.This can lead to saturation of tasks and responsibilities. In the end, their poor time management is paid for by their subordinates.
11. No room for creativity
Bad bosses are incapable of recognizing the talent and creativity of their employees. They follow rigid rules and dynamics, leaving no room for improvisation. This causes employees to have totally mechanical functions and fail to develop their capabilities.. It is a common mistake, and the company is the main victim of this attitude.
(Updated at Apr 13 / 2024)