I don’t want this to be a particularly negative post but let’s face the truth we’ve all had at least one. In fact I would wager that if you’ve been working for more than a few years you’ve likely had several. What am I talking about why bad bosses of course.
Whether they had personal hygiene issues or other character flaws it’s obvious that there is no shortage of awful business leadership. So in hopes of getting people to talk about their personal experiences I am going to start off with one of my personal favorites.
It’s no surprise that I have worked in the information technology field for a very long time. Truthfully, I started working with computer systems over 20 years ago in the US Military. During that time I have had my share of obnoxious bosses but one stands out above the rest. While I have decided not to name any names any of my former coworkers who have dealt with this individual while immediately recognize, the boss I call the Zero Personality Gratuitous Moocher (ZPGM).
What distinguishes Mr. ZPGM above all others is his complete and utter lack of inter personal social skills. It always amazed me to think that this individual had somehow seemingly failed his way up to CEO. I always dreaded going onsite with him to any client because he was beyond Nick Burns crass.
I remember visiting one high profile law firm in preparation of a major IT roll out and was approached by one of the attorneys who asked me if I was the CEO of the IT support company. When I pointed out the individual he turned to me and clearly stated, “I can’t believe it he does not act like any CEO I have ever met. I truly believed you were the head honcho because you seem to actually care if this project is successful or not.”
To say that I was flabbergasted is an understatement. However the more that I thought about it and all the previous meetings I had attended with the boss I came to realize her was an utter moron in regards to conducting himself in any sort of social situation. Nothing was more dreadful than attending a sales meeting with him for a prospective client. As soon as he was done with his ‘schpeal’ and there was a moment of silence he would pack up his things and leave.
Yes that’s right he’d get up from the conference table turn and leave the room without even thanking the client for their time. It always amazed me that he ever won deals because of his blatant lack of regard for the client but it paled in comparison to his disdain for his own employees.
Most of the time he was antagonistic toward the other employees, and had no qualms against inciting the female offices workers to leave early in tears. To say that the work environment was a bit hostile was putting it mildly. Employee turn over tended to be high and it amazes me that I was able to weather the storm for as long as I did. One of his more annoying tactics was to call you when you were at a client usually during some sensitive system restore and immediately reverse the conversation so seem as if you called him. To this day I have never met anyone else capable of pulling that one off.
Unfortunately, all of this is minor in comparison to the way he would make his daily rounds during lunchtime. For whatever reason he would always visit the staff members when they had just started to eat their lunch. He always like to pop in and ask questions about a project or client just as you had a mouth full of food. Worse if you have any sort of potato chips, cookies or other snack food he would reach over your head to help himself to the bag. Continuing to casually chat with you while he ate half your lunch. Worse yet he even chewed with his mouth open.
Ok so I’ve aired my bad boss story it’s time for you to weigh in. Please fill up the comment stream with your stories, just remember to keep it clean and avoid saying anything that my end your current employment. Thanks for reading!
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- Your Boss Is Bad For You: Why Bad Bosses Infect Your Life and What You Can Do to Stop Them [Work-life Balance] (lifehacker.com)
- This is why your boss hates you (business.financialpost.com)
- 8 Practical Techniques for Taming a Bad Boss (pcworld.com)
- A Bad Boss Can Increase Your Risk for Heart Disease (newsfeed.time.com)
