One characteristic that all bosses share is a knack for annoying everyone who reports to them! After spending ten long years in the corporate world, I have realized that they also come in various breeds (each one more annoying than the next). Here are some varieties of boss you could encounter, in no particular order of nastiness:
The Paranoid Micro Manager will stand over your shoulder as you work, listen to your phone conversations, insist on accompanying you to every meeting, tell you what to say (or what not to say) to whom, and will keep correcting everything you do.
The Gormless Credit Hogger is highly insecure. He will never fail to pass off your ideas and achievements as his own, especially in front of the top management.
The Frivolous Work Shirker will drag the team along for extended lunches, movies, shopping expeditions, personal errands - all on office time. Even so, he will want work completed (on time, of course), without having to lift a finger himself. Of course, when it comes to taking credit for good performance, he will be found standing right at the front of the queue.
The Frivolous Work Shirker will drag the team along for extended lunches, movies, shopping expeditions, personal errands - all on office time. Even so, he will want work completed (on time, of course), without having to lift a finger himself. Of course, when it comes to taking credit for good performance, he will be found standing right at the front of the queue.
The Do-Nothing Delegator is a close relative of the above species. This person pawns off every bit of his work to subordinates (without paying any heed to their seniority, job description, or quantity of workload). Such work can also involve typing out the boss' documents, drafting his emails, filing, photocopying, making phonecalls on his behalf, running his personal errands, etc.
The Angry Anarchist is on a mission to bring the organization under his control. He has little regard for existing protocol, thinks nothing of other departments, and usually ends up pitching himself and his hapless team against everyone else in the organization.
The Political Warfarer is out to get the better of every other department. He or she resorts to dirty tactics to get ahead, and ends up being hated by all other departments (whose cooperation you desperately need but are most unlikely to get, simply because you've been tainted by your boss' unpleasant reputation).
The Frightened Ostrich is quite the opposite of the above three. This individual is too timid to stand up for anything or anyone, wears horse-blinders, and leaves all confrontation to his subordinates.
The Confused Incompetent lacks grey cells. He has very little understanding of the goings-on in his own team, let alone within the organization. He is usually easy to manipulate and control, but isn't of much use to anyone.
The Confused Incompetent lacks grey cells. He has very little understanding of the goings-on in his own team, let alone within the organization. He is usually easy to manipulate and control, but isn't of much use to anyone.
The Persistent Casanova is always on the lookout for 'love'. This person will repeatedly proposition subordinates of the opposite gender and take offence if rebuffed. Needless to say, you are at maximum risk if you happen to be good looking.
There is also the good boss, although this happens to be an endangered species. A lucky few are fortunate to have good bosses. Most of us are not. I happen to lead a team of three people, who (claim that they) think well of me! I am also quite fond of my own boss. There's one thing I've realized; you can only earn respect if you treat people well AND set a good example. There really is no other way if you want things done right, and also, with the right spirit.
