Podcast: How to Spot Good and Bad Leadership and What it Means

This month, my one hour lively and provocative interview with the hosts of the podcast series “Let’s Break Up – Toxic Workplace Stories” went live. Hosts Gina and Nicola are fun candid hosts who have now published about two dozen episodes of captivating interviews with various people discussing all aspects of toxic workplaces … mine is episode 22. Do examine and subscribe to this series (link.)

Bad bosses and toxic workplaces can have a huge negative impact of organizational effectiveness, employee productivity, employee attrition and at the end of the day, the bottom line. I cannot understand with HR leaders and senior leaders tolerate bad bosses and often do very little to address this. See my 2015 blog, “Why Do We Tolerate Bad Bosses?”

Far to many people leave a job to get away from that “boss from hell.”

In my “Toxic Workplace” session, “How to Spot Good and Bad Leadership and What it Means,” I share candidly about some of the horrific “bosses from hell” I experienced at IBM, some really poor senior leadership, and also about some of my great bosses.

In their summary, Gina and Nicola generously describe me as “an expert in personal growth, business efficiency, and employee development.” They wrote “with a focus on toxic workplaces, this episode delves deep into the crucial topic of spotting good and bad leadership within organizations. Stan’s background included serving as the Director of Global Sales Operations at IBM, where he played a pivotal role in building the company’s highly successful Global Sales Operations unit. Stan spearheaded the consolidation of thousands of employees across various divisions and geographic units, resulting in substantial cost reductions and improved service levels. However, Stan’s expertise extends beyond operations and efficiency; he is also recognized for his exceptional skills in employee development, LGBT diversity management, and organizational effectiveness.

“Join us as Stan shares his invaluable insights on identifying the characteristics of effective leadership and its positive impact on employee engagement and business success. With his passion for empowering individuals and teams, Stan firmly believes that providing the right tools to employees can drive their career growth and ultimately contribute to the overall success of the organization.

“Throughout the episode, Stan engages in a thought-provoking discussion about the telltale signs of both good and bad leadership, drawing from his extensive experience and deep understanding of organizational dynamics. From fostering employee morale and career mapping to maximizing the potential of diverse workforces, Stan’s expertise shines through his practical advice and engaging anecdotes.”

I thank Gina and Nicola for engaging me in this discussion and providing this gracious wording about this episode and my expertise. Do take a listen to episode 22 – “How to Spot Good and Bad Leadership and What it Means.”

Why Do We Tolerate Bad Bosses?

Far too many people leave a job to get away from that "boss from hell."

Far too many people leave a job to get away from that “boss from hell.”

As a diversity and career development consultant, I often teach workshops for Human Resources Professionals and Business Owners on the importance of investing in talent development. Part of that investment will be providing tools and resources to assist employees in building their skills and growing their longer range careers

One of the tools I provide is an analytical way to evaluate if a potential new position is a good fit. Unfortunately, many people do not make job decisions based on logical rationale, but often on more emotional issues, with the top one being to get away from that “boss from hell.” Too often people leave a decent job and run to a less than optimal position that does not really meet their professional or career goals.

In a recent workshop with HR professionals, I emphatically asked, “Why do we tolerate bad bosses?” They often cost our companies millions of dollars in lost employee productivity and attrition cost. With the high cost of recruiting and onboarding new employees, the cost of employees quitting to escape that bad boss is a large loss. And the remaining demoralized employees will spend too much time complaining about that bad boss or looking for a new job instead of focusing on delivering outstanding business results.

I believe HR professionals need to take the lead on addressing “bad bosses.” Some recommendations:

1. For a fairly new manager or first time offender, do offer training to address the manager’s shortcomings. Hopefully the manager will understand their issues and work hard to correct them. If the manager won’t even admit they are lacking in management skills, they need to be removed.

2. Managers with a repeated record of employee complaints and poor ratings on employee engagement surveys simply need to be removed from people management roles. One alternative to firing a bad manager is moving them laterally or perhaps demoted into an individual contributor role.

3. Offer a track to senior leadership that is based on strategic and technical skills that does not involve managing staff. There can be some excellent technical leaders who simply cannot learn how to manage others, yet they feel the pressure to move into management as the only option of growing their careers.

The most common objection I receive to not removing bad managers is “But they deliver business results. They get the job done” But really? Are the results that a bad manager may deliver worth the hundreds of thousands of dollars of recruiting and onboarding costs to replace departing employees? And are the results worth the poor morale and productivity? Something to think about.