Michael Jordan's Weblog

A colleague recently requested some input on this topic. I'd be interested in the thoughts of others...

Things Bad Managers Do:

• Micromanage
• Give conflicting (or no) direction
• Surprises at review time [More specifically about performance reviews]
• Never give performance feedback
• Give work to closest person instead of to the person whose job it is
• Yell or other things that bring you down
• Gossip
• Over-emphasize what "the company" is doing wrong as if they/we weren't part of it
• Never available
• Poke holes in ideas instead of building up ideas

(See also [Cyndi Maxey])

One interesting sidenote is that everyone says "Don't micromanage" but what are actual guidelines for avoiding this? How does a manager know if they have crossed the line from guidance/monitoring to micromanaging. One thing a manager should question is their assignment/review cycle. This is why I'm a proponent of 30-60-90 day plans with monthly progress reviews (for senior staff).

I consider this a serious topic in general (what bad managers do). That said, I was seriously bothered by something done by one of my first managers that, in retrospect, is a bit amusing. I shared an office with this guy (let's call him "Arby" instead of by his name). He used to fart all the time in the office. I was a punk kid fresh out of college and this guy was pretty senior but it finally got on my nerves I had to tell him to stop. I told him it was "like working in the restroom" and he replied "yeah, like you can CONTROL it!" He implied that it was unreasonable to expect him to hold it in, or whatever other people do...

Why?: See [this article for thoughts on why good people do bad things at work]. But I think there's probably a simple explanation that has to do with lack of skills or prepration or passion to be good at managing.

Can't avoid working for a bad boss? Here are some ideas for how to cope with one.