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Good Boss, Bad Boss Part II

My blog last week ended when I left the Good [but tough] Boss to take a similar sales job across the street with a major competitor. My new boss was a friend; he and I worked together at the previous company, in different departments. He felt he should have gotten the top job instead of the Good Boss, and left to take another MD role.

My job was to take my client base to the new company, I just had to learn the styles of the people I now worked with. That wasn’t too hard, but I found over time that my new boss-as much as I personally liked him-was the antithesis of the Good Boss. I had to learn how to work in spite of him.

Why was he a Bad Boss?

He did not understand his time

He would always be at the office late (by US standards) every day. His rationale was that he worked late, and therefore it was OK for the boss to come in late. I understood; we all did-but everyone worked similar hours, and it was lopsided logic at best.

He disliked confronting and making tough decisions

Well, I take that back a bit. He could make tough operational decisions, but hid when it came to inter-personal ones, always the hardest. I fought with the other regional sales manager over a client we both knew (but I had a better rapport than he did with the client. The Bad Boss wouldn’t back me up, so me and the other sales manager visited the client separately, sales idiocy..) Taking a position is never a sure bet, but decision-making is what the boss is paid to do. His inability to do so forced people to either negotiate or fight amongst themselves, and it caused internal ruptures, which he was not privy to. But should have been.

He protected his pals

One old friend of his ran one of the departments. Good operationally, but in every other way a complete lunatic when dealing with people. Rude, angry, misogynistic, he did everything he could upset everyone, and should never have been working there. Everyone beat a path to the Boss’ door to complain. And the Boss would shrug, say ‘you don’t understand him’, take his friend to the office, tell him to cool down, and they’d sit there and laugh about life and work and the state of affairs. He valued friendship more than character, and could not axe his friend, although it greatly diminished him with all his direct reports.

He screwed around

While one could say that this is hardly news, it became an ongoing drama. He carried on with other women in the office, and it cost him his marriage. Everyone knew, everyone talked about it, and it distracted everyone from doing their job.

He took up golf

OK, OK, I know what you’re thinking. He quickly became addicted to it, was on the greens more than the office for long stretches. All in its place and in its time, but he lost the balance.

He didn’t like selling

Not a fatal flaw, by any means, but customers-especially large ones-wanted to meet the head guy. He hated going to meet customers, and was seldom comfortable doing it, so we all worked around it. But the lack of interpersonal skills reflected the difficulty he had leading.

He didn’t listen well

If someone had a problem-a constant at the office-he seldom listened. It would be a wave of the hand, make light of it, a joke or caustic remark followed. As he didn’t like confrontation, he shied from the burdens of life we all have. The boss is not a shrink, but his sarcasm confused and addled people.

But he was a friend. He had a good heart, knew his flaws and that he needed to improve, was honest in his financial dealings, recognised good work and good talent, was a strong operational guy. He just was not a leader, never learned how to make the very good outstanding..

The office chugged along, the revenues were steady, but the leadership was adrift.

 

He was liked-I think people felt sorry for him in a perverse way, and made excuses for him to others. Nice guy, Bad Boss.

 

Written by Neal Horwitz, MD of Henry Hale Maguire