Are You a Bad Boss? [Quiz]

Understanding how to be effective in your role is the most important part of being a good leader, but this can often take a lot of patience and humility. It's easy for even the most conscientious of managers to slip into bad habits and become disengaged with the organization they work for.

This can soon escalate and before you know it, you're unable to provide the support and guidance your team needs. But are you a bad boss?

Micromanager Miguel

Are you a control freak that needs to be involved in every decision? Do you require colleagues and team members to report to you after every small development? You may very well be a Micromanager Miguel. Although it's important for bosses to be involved in projects, it's just as crucial that you allow the professionals around you the autonomy they need to thrive. The most talented people on your team must have the independence to use their own initiative and come up with their own creative ideas. Unless you facilitate and support this, you'll end up with a group of people who lack confidence in their own decisions, are frustrated and disengaged with their role, or just never fully realize their true potential.

Micromanager Miguels are bad bosses because not only are they incredibly tedious to work alongside but they also deny their colleagues the opportunity to develop their skills.

Laidback Lisa

We've all had that boss that is great to have a chat with or socialize with out of work but completely useless when it comes to getting anything done. Laidback Lisas are happy to say yes to practically anything that you ask but are very slow to take decisive action or do something productive. This casual leadership style isn't just a nightmare if you have a strict project deadline but can also be frustrating if you need their intervention with professional development.

If you're a Laidback Lisa, you're a bad boss because you approach management like a personality contest. You need to be the person who offers guidance and support to those around you, which sometimes means saying things people don't want to hear. Laidback Lisas struggle to deliver on the promises they make, which can trigger distrust among a team.

Feedback Fiona

Feedback Fionas are some of the most annoying bosses you can ever work with. They may be full of praise but they're also armed with an arsenal of errors you made, even if you thought you were acting on their guidance. They constantly move the goalposts so by the end of it, you have no idea where you stand or what success looks like.

Even if an approach has been effective, Feedback Fionas will always have comments about how you could have done better. Although it's important for bosses to help professionals excel and not rest on their laurels, it needs to come with achievable guidance to allow them to succeed next time and the support to get there.

Hardball Harry

Do you never take no for an answer? Struggle to understand excuses or empathize with colleagues? You're probably a Hardball Harry. Their no-nonsense approach can be intimidating and alienating for colleagues around them. Although transparency can be a valuable quality in management, it's only effective if it's built on a foundation of a strong working relationship. Hardball Harrys will struggle to have a connection with their team because of their approach, meaning that their blunt comments will come across as chastising not supporting.

Hardball Harrys are bad bosses because they keep their team at an arm's length. This makes it incredibly difficult for them to understand their colleagues and identify the ways in which they can best develop.