Lessons Learned

Over a long tenure with a variety of companies, I’ve had good bosses and bad. Over that time I’ve come to realize that even a bad boss can teach a good lesson. It’s a good way to learn how not to behave or manage when we’re faced with similar situations.

I’ve worked with senior managers who made me wonder how they managed to reach such a senior position. I recall one who avoided making decisions at all costs. He would always make sure to be away or out when the time came to set direction on a sensitive or difficult issue. Another worked with HR and seemed to take an inordinate amount of pleasure in finding issues to intimidate staff who worked under them. One of the worst I ever worked for had no people skills whatsoever, and seemed to enjoy making the managers that worked for him squirm by giving late notice or absurd rules when evaluation, bonus, or salary season rolled around.

All of those time were uncomfortable for me and my peers, but most of us soldiered through it and eventually outlasted the bad management. The key thing to remember when faced by these situations use it as a learning experience.

There’s an old adage about ‘doing unto others as you would have others do to you.’ Bad managers can teach us good lessons in how not to treat our own staff. While the experience may be uncomfortable or annoying at the time, people like those I mentioned above eventually bring themselves down.
This week I’ve mentioned that we can learn from bad managers. Next week I’ll talk about what we can learn from good ones.