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Telltale Signs That You Might Be a Bad Boss Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:00 AM PDT Bosses  can be pretty infuriating at times. But do you know what can really ruin your day? A bad boss. In your web design career, you surely have experienced being administered by the boss. You take orders and requests, do and finish them and earn money at paydays. If this is not the case, you might be the boss. You are the one who sends payments, administers people, and sanctions them if they do something wrong. This can be very difficult at times, especially when you think of the times when you were still at the bottom of the chain. Everyone saw you as a friend more than a foe back then.  One moment, you still enjoy having coffee with your co-workers in the pantry. The day you were promoted, people looked at you with angry gazes. Is this perfectly normal? What would you do? How did all this happen? Well, before you smash your head on your desk and be broody about it, let me tell you a few things. In this article, you’ll know all of the signs why people look you as if they're going to put you in a human holocaust. We will also discuss the steps that you need to do to take away these thoughts away from your employees. You're a Micromanager You probably have assembled an immensely capable pool of talent because of the growing number of tasks you have at hand. Or maybe, you aren't skilled enough to do these. But, most of the time, your employees aren't doing anything. How did this happen? The reason behind all of these is that you micromanage. You have hired people to do jobs yet you still do most of the jobs. This practice gravely harms your business because you don't make the most out of the people you hire. Most micromanager bosses also fail because they don't bring out the talents their employees. Because of this, the creativity, productivity and efficiency of the whole company suffers. Remember, if two hands can build an entire house, imagine what four (or more) hands can accomplish. Signs that you might be micromanaging: You don't delegate tasks. You want yourself to have a say on all the projects of your co-workers. You are too detail-oriented and tend to manipulate rather than to gather opinions. You immediately take over if the person you delegated fails. You don't give your employees responsibility on making small decisions on their own. Why do my employees hate me for this? You don't give them the opportunity to do their work. Micromanaging boxes your employees into what they already know. You don't open avenues for growth. Because of this, the employees don't get satisfied. This leads to them being unhappy, and might lead to the worse case scenario: they leave. How would I stop micromanaging? Hire the right people. Make everyone accountable for their responsibilities. Allow your employees to make decisions. State your expectations clearly. You Are a Fault Finder Negative people will bring in negative work. One of the reasons why your employees hate you might be you always find mistakes and faults in whatever they do. You send out projects and keep on rejecting them just because they don't fit your style. There's nothing wrong with striving for perfection. Also, there is nothing wrong with looking for faults. But sometimes, you have to acknowledge that your employees, too, can make things right. How did this happen? Now that you are the boss, you want your company to steer into excellence so that success will come after it. However, in this desire, you tend to overlook the human capacity to commit mistakes. At times, you get too fed-up with striving for perfection that you always want to see mistakes. Maybe it's pride talking for you, but surely, this does not do good to you. Why do my employees hate me for this? When you are always negative, grumpy and unapproachable, people think you're an a-hole (excuse expression). Your employees think that you are too fed up with yourself that you don't see the efforts of the people who work for you. Employees under your administration might always feel overworked because you keep on revising and nothing is ever finished. Come on, if you had a client like this, would you want him? Signs that you might be a fault-finder You don't appreciate good performance. You are often irate about things. You are not approachable. You criticize even if there is nothing to criticize. You are biased. How would I stop this? Learn to congratulate, to say ‘Thank you.’ and  ‘Job well-done.' Appreciate your employees. Be more approachable. Learn to give fair judgment . Use the sandwich method in giving criticisms. You Instantly Reject Ideas Okay, let's admit it upfront: not every idea is a good one and not everything people suggests should be realized. But we don't discount the boss' responsibility to hear them out. One of the reasons why people stare at you with murderous looks in their eyes is you are a silencer. You shut people out whenever they suggest something. In meetings, you are the only one speaking. No comments are made; no suggestions are aired. To put it simply, you just don't want to listen to others. How did this happen? To be honest, this roots back to lack of trust. You tend to look at people with disbelief, thinking that your ideas are the only ones brilliant. Often, you see others as mere inferior minds. You are filled with proclivity that they can never think of great ideas. In meetings, you preside everything and never let anyone claim their says. You always want your will to be followed, unbent and unbroken. Why do my employees hate me for this? Dude, we're no longer in the dark times where any liberal idea is rejected. Don't be the type of person who just can't welcome change. People hate you for this because you curtail their right to speak. They will naturally feel out of place. Signs that you are silencer You hate change. You don't like to hear other ideas. If you listen to people airing out their concerns, you think of ways on how to disprove them. You like to talk but hate to listen. How do I stop this? Let people speak during meetings. Let your employees air their concerns out to you. Use suggestion boxes or other tools. Learn to listen and listen to learn. Be open-minded You Are a Liar This may seem to be pretty blunt but one of the leading reasons why your employees hate you is you are a liar. Lying is a total motivation killer for your employees. It gravely decreases their morale, making them less work-driven. As the boss, you have to keep your word in everything you say. You need to walk the talk, put words into action and realize ideas. If you are going to impose strict punctuality guidelines, then, be the first one to follow them. Remember, lawmakers should never be law-breakers. You have to do this to build trust between you, the company and the employees. How did this happen? You might have been a liar without you knowing it. Most times, you just impose rules and never follow them because you think you are exempted. No. You're not. Remember, as the leader of the pack, you should be the first one to walk the talk. Don't just follow the rules you imposed only if you find them convenient. No. You have to set a good example to the people below you in the hierarchy. If you don't follow the rules, chances are, employees won't too. Why do my employees hate me for this? Let's put it this way: You are in a relationship. Your partner couldn’t come over and tell you it is a work thing. But here's the catch. It's not. For all you know, your partner was in a bar, having some drinks. What would you feel? As a boss, you have to be accountable to everything you say. Because those eyes will always be fixed at you. Honestly, employees will always look at you. You have no choice on that. But you can always choose how their expressions will be. Signs that you are a liar You make empty promises. You always come late on busy days. You don't think of the rules you set. You honestly can't understand the company's vision and mission. How do I stop this? Make a note of the rules you need to follow. Be the first one to admit you broke the rules. Think more of the company rather than yourself. You Can't Separate Professionalism and Office Rapport Believe me, I'm all for bosses who are professional. Those guys who are focused at work have unbended will. But on the flip side, I also like bosses whom you can hang out with. And probably, most employees feel the same. How did this happen? Maybe this has crossed your mind once or twice. As a boss, you wanted to reach out to your employees to make them feel comfortable. You also wanted them to be focused at work. In this goal, you tend to extend yourself to the employees, chat with them during work time. After a few weeks, you felt like things have been getting too cozy at work. Nothing is finished in time, and everybody seems less motivated. You begin to employ the iron fist method of leadership. However, after this, you notice that everybody began to hate you. Nobody comes to you anymore; you rarely walk home with someone. Suddenly, everybody hates you. So how are you going to balance everything? Why is this bad? This is bad because you lack consistency. When you can't balance professionalism and office rapport, your employees will have a difficult time dealing with you. They don't know when to relax and when to work. Conversely, this affects the productivity of the group. When there is so much freedom, people become complacent. When you take it away, they rebel. Signs that you can't balance You don't know the limits on when you can mingle with the group. You're too strict. You're too loose. You don't go out with your employees. You always talk to your employees. How do I stop this? Set limits. When it's work, it's work. Take breaks for small but brief chatter. Be clear about the boundaries of work and bond. Conclusion These are some of the tell-tale signs that you might be a bad boss. Now, if you happen to be positive of these signs, then, I recommend that you should start reviewing the way you manage your team. Before it's too late.

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