What are the worst traits in a boss or manager? - Comparably | Comparably

What are the worst traits in a boss or manager?

Leadership

Thanks! Your answer has been posted anonymously.

Your answer will be posted publicly. Please don't submit any personal information.

64 Answers

  • 0
    Helpful

    Talking down on your employees

  • 0
    Helpful

    Micromanaging and being rude

  • 0
    Helpful

    Lack of empathy or compassion

  • 1
    Helpful

    Ego and abuse of power for personal gain.

  • 0
    Helpful

    That is a "loaded" question. However, I would say one that was very aggressive (always angry) in his/her way of addressing their people. Also, a "slave-driver", i.e. one who forcefully pushes and pushes one or more/all of their people until their half dead. Anyone who screws their people over to make themselves look good. A dead-beat boss who couldn't care any less of the workers or the company. These are a few kinds of the worse kind of manager or supervisor.

  • 0
    Helpful

    talks down to employees and constanly changing the rules an employee thinks they are doing it right but then they are constantly being told they did it wrong do it this way even though you just told them to do it that way

  • 0
    Helpful

    Failure to listen to his employees and just taking his managers word for it. Untouchable .to good for anyone but those higher up. looks down on his employees. Inhuman, greedy, and unfeeling. My way or the highway.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Acting like they know more than you

  • 0
    Helpful

    Lack of dignity and respect for employees.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Not appreciating a hard worker. Always criticizing behind their backs. Their way or no way. Not open for suggestions.

  • 0
    Helpful

    One that does not communicate with his people.

  • 0
    Helpful

    reverse racism and favortisim

  • 0
    Helpful

    Speaking down to you or snapping at you when they have other things going on.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Elitism, not listening, not being present, not understanding the job functions of their staff, not doing their actual work, micromanaging, nepotism.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Ego and the inability to separate themselves from it.

  • 0
    Helpful

    The worst traits typically have to be the disassociation with the fact that the employees are still people - but instead get treated like just a worker. Either that, or when the boss or manager is just completely out of touch with their employees to see what is wrong with the company and what needs to be fixed.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Dishonest, no integrity, untrustworthy, doesn’t follow through, makes excuses, favoritism, and lacks knowledge

  • 0
    Helpful

    Favoritism, micro-managing and no compassion!!!

  • 0
    Helpful

    Doesn’t listen doesn't have their employees backs

  • 0
    Helpful

    Elitist mentality, superiority complex, inflated ego. Psychopathy. General inability to communicate, lack of integrity, dishonesty.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Lack of communication, inadequate delegating

  • 0
    Helpful

    Favoritism and personal bias. All failures spring from those two wells.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Bossy with no respect

  • 0
    Helpful

    self centered - kinda like the President

  • 0
    Helpful

    Micromanagement of established employees when you can't complete the job they do.

  • 0
    Helpful

    People who always want to take the credit and make decisions that override for the sake of overriding those below them

  • 0
    Helpful

    One that only cares about themselves and how they look and not how their employees are doing.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Not understanding the industry, not observing law and ethics and also absence of managerial and leadership skills

  • 0
    Helpful

    Boss uses title and a manager improves processes and employees skills

  • 0
    Helpful

    Lack of accountability, no backbone, not a team player

  • 0
    Helpful

    Poor communication is #1. Poor organization is #2

  • 0
    Helpful

    My own opinions and ego are what make them the "worst."

  • 0
    Helpful

    Never at work. to many ptos never there never see. unsupportve of the store. management and associates or important critical times or any time.

  • 0
    Helpful

    When they don't consider your input

  • 0
    Helpful

    Cursing ,and getting in employee face yelling

  • 0
    Helpful

    Inconsistency, unfairness, bad temper, playing favorites, deceitfulness, childish sense of humor, arrogance, bullying, laziness

  • 0
    Helpful

    Yelling cutting down employees and starting fights among crew members

  • 0
    Helpful

    Self-centered, insincerety, lack of experience, not a team player, poor understanding of the business, micromanager, laser-focused, wrong perspective.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Not trusting your employees to do their job. Being insensitive to personal needs. Just ask for things without explaining the motivation.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Closed doors. Lack of empathy.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Paranoia for their own job due to the good work you are doing. Also, their ethic and desire (or non) to do their own job well.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Lying. Taking credit for work done by others. Snarkiness or sarcasm when people are unsure about something or haven't learned it yet.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Bossy, not listening, flippant

  • 0
    Helpful

    Anger and unwillingness to change with the times.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Lazy, un-empathetic, unintelligent, ignorant, dishonest, and rude.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Taking sides with other coworkers, believing bad things about one worker without bothering to find out if its true or not.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Lying; gossiping; not taking accountability; not being clear on work.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Bad example and misrespect. Not being reliable.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Talking bad about employees in front everybody giving mean looks at the employees bulling my supervisors talk to the woman that don’t like me but don’t interact with me and cheating company policy no equality

  • 0
    Helpful

    arrogance - belief they're better than you

  • 0
    Helpful

    Not taking responsibility for their words & actions, not being trustworthy & true to their word (i.e doing what they say, presenting factual information, telling the truth.) Lacks basic communication skills or that has/plays "favorites/untouchables," that covers for & protects the couple who can't perform their basic job duties, liars, back-stabbing, racists, bigots, misogynists, sexists, those that personally attack or threaten the larger portion of really good, hard workers who are good at their jobs. Protecting the couple of bad apples, resulting in good people quitting or just hating their job so much that every day is stressful & anger filled.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Someone who is it professional and someone who’s not easy to talk to.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Impersonal. Goes against company policy.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Backstabbed, disorganized, insecure.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Laziness and they don't know how to correctly do their job.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Best: honesty, integrity, humility, strong work ethic, respect for others, listening and communication skills Worst: lack of empathy, unwillingness or inability to listen or effectively communicate, willful deception

  • 0
    Helpful

    Favoritism. Not addressing challenging co-workers. Unwilling to confront issues head on.

  • 0
    Helpful

    favoritism, plays games, uses the phrase "rules are subject to change at the discretion of management", laughs in your face for promoting you

  • 0
    Helpful

    Laziness and micromanaging.

  • 0
    Helpful

    indecisive, weak leadership skills, self centered, poor communicator.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Micromanagers, untrusting

  • 0
    Helpful

    Enthusiasm being low, not having clear goals and miscommunication. And lack of complimenting workers. And having I'm better then attitude is the worst.

  • 0
    Helpful

    One that doesn't lead by example and has favorites.

  • 0
    Helpful

    Dictatorial authoritarian transactional leadership, ignorance camouflaged by authority and the lack of humility to ask the right questions to fill gaps in knowledge and empower subject matter expert resources towards accomplishing their full potential.