Being the boss can be lonely. You can’t be everyone’s friend. You’re ‘the man.’
If you’re lucky, you have a team you trust and the confidence to get out of their way. More likely? You sometimes find yourself playing the heavy.
Do you ever wonder, though, if your team hates you? Do you find yourself rationalizing that thought with, “I’m a tough boss! I get things done!”
There is a thread-thin line between toxic and tough. But, when it comes to results, these two management styles couldn’t be further apart.
A tough, fair boss inspires devotion from a team willing to accomplish the impossible.
But when the boss is a bully, “outcomes range from mutiny and death to an erosion of trust, increased turnover, domestic violence, absenteeism, and increased alcohol and drug use,” says Teresa Daniel, Dean and Professor of Human Resource Leadership Programs at Sullivan University.
Which kind of boss you are?
“Most bullies don’t recognize that they are bullies, “says Patricia Barnes, author of Surviving Bullies, Queen Bees & Psychopaths in the Workplace (Amazon Digital Services, LLC). “They are shocked when they are told they are bullies.”
Ask yourself the following questions to find out if you are one of them.