15 Signs You Are A Bad Manager

04/08/2017 15 Signs You Are A Bad Manager | Freelancer Blog
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15 Signs You Are A Bad Manager

Posted on 24 July, 2017 - Last Modi ed on 26 July, 2017
Freelancer › Community › Entrepreneurship › 15 Signs You Are A Bad Manager
MANAGEMENT STRATEGY COMMUNICATIONS EMPLOYERS LEADERSHIP RESOURCE LIST
Do you wonder why your staff hardly meets any company goals despite having adequate resources at
their disposal? In some cases, the employees are not to blame. Some managers barely take the time
to critically review their leadership skills. This negligence leads to bad decision-making, and overall
poor performance for the entire organization.
Here’s a checklist that will help you identify your weaknesses, and become a better manager:
1. Sending mixed signals to employees

Managers who cannot de ne their expectations often end up with shoddy results. For instance, you
instruct your employees to start working on Project A on Monday. Then just a couple of days later, you
show up with Project B, which requires immediate attention. In this situation, your employees will be
forced to take a haphazard approach towards the completion of Project A.
Some managers try too hard to please employees, but end up messing the team spirit. It is advisable
to treat your employees with a neutral approach. When you become increasingly warm towards them,
they will assume you view them more as your friends than employees. Such a manager stirs up
resentment among their staff in situations where they demand results rather than requesting.
2. Lacking open channels for feedback

Employees require feedback from authority gures to enable them to grow their skills and work on
their weaknesses. Perhaps one of the reasons why your employees work like automatons instead of
thinking out of the box could be the fear of getting red. A manager who does not hold consultative
meetings with their employees cannot improve their supervision skills for the greater good of the
company.
The bene ts of consultative dialogue are immense. Being tactful when channeling your feedback to
employees ensures you get your message across effectively without offending anyone.
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3. Procrastination Log In Sign Up
Procrastination is the thief of time. Managers who postpone attending to their employee's issues end
up dealing with larger problems. One of these problems is laziness. When your employees get used to
your procrastinating ways, they will also perform their tasks at a leisurely pace. In the long run, your
employees will lose respect towards you.
4. Disregarding organizational policies

An organization requires rules and policies to facilitate ef cient day-to-day running. Some managers
think too highly of their past achievements, to the point of openly aunting their organization’s
policies. Such con icts sour relationships and affect the company’s morale.
5. Avoiding one-on-one communication with employees

The only time most managers sit down with an employee to talk about progress and career
challenges is during annual staff evaluations. No matter the size of your institution or how time-
consuming your day is, it is important to schedule frequent meetings with your team. These sessions
enable you to gain useful feedback and provide guidance where necessary. Also, you will earn greater
respect from your employees because they will appreciate you setting time apart from your hectic
schedule to listen to them.
6. Playing favorites
One way of upsetting your organization's harmony is by playing favorites. Employees may not openly
protest against a manager who's lenient towards certain employees, but they will express their anger
in other forms that directly compromise productivity. The favored employees become subjects of
ridicule among the victimized staff who resent their unfair privileges. In the end, the company suffers
a huge loss because its skilled employees resign and seek new jobs where everyone gets treated
equally.
7. Demeaning employees
A manager dealing with low self-esteem issues relies on hostility to assert his authority. Such
managers are toxic to everyone they engage with, especially to employees who have to endure the
humiliation on a daily basis. This type of negativity drains employee’s motivation, blocks effective
communication and brings about a high turnover of staff.
Treating your employees with respect will make them feel valued, and this boosts their self-motivation
towards becoming better at their jobs.
8. Being unapproachable
Team meetings provide an opportunity for the entire organization to generate new ideas that will
enhance the company’s performance. Employees value meetings because it gives them a chance to
be heard, and get solutions to the problems they frequently encounter. An insecure manager views
debates with junior staff as a direct challenges to their authority. Employees who have to work under
such leaders cannot freely express their ideas during staff meetings, because the manager usually
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dominates the session at the expense of everybody.
9. Lacking commitment towards the organization’s goals

A bad manager mainly focuses on what he or she can gain from their organization rather than
different ways they can contribute towards value addition. When your employees sense this sel sh
attitude from your speech and poor work ethics, they will also become indifferent towards the
company’s mission. Indifference then dulls employee’s creativity and reduces them to robots.
10. Being dishonest

Honesty goes a long way in establishing and maintaining harmony in the organization. A manager
who frequently lies to his employees deliberately destroys interpersonal relationships and his
credibility as a leader. Employees will interpret your “yes” as “no” and vice versa.
11. Refusing to recognize achievements

A manager should reward his staff now and then to sustain high morale. It could be in the form of a
compliment made in the presence of colleagues, lunch or dinner treat, or a bonus dished out
alongside monthly pay checks. Some managers wrongly believe that openly recognizing the
exemplary results of an employee makes them seem like they are playing favorites. Leaders obsessed
with their authority feel jealous and threatened whenever executive management decides to promote
a junior employee to a senior position.
12. Refusing to delegate authority

A manager who runs all major and minor functions of his organization directly contributes towards
employee inef ciency. This type of leader views micromanaging as an effective approach towards
getting things done. The problem with micromanaging is that it is exhaustive, time-consuming and
undermines leadership. Employees get angry when they have to seek your approval for the slightest
decisions. Lack of delegation prevents career growth, since your employees will lack opportunities to
take on new responsibilities and learn new insights after solving bigger challenges.
13. Spending too much time on decision making

Employees look up to their managers when it comes to making tough decisions for the organization’s
best interests. It is not uncommon for a few managers to take days and weeks making up their minds
on the organization’s short and long term issues. The problem occurs when employees take note of
their manager’s slow decision-making process, and interpret it as weakness.
You can improve your decision-making process by making it a group effort. Your knowledge and
career experience will not always be suf cient. Sometimes, listening to different perspectives from
employees will open up your mind to new ideas and different ways of thinking.
14. Bad mouthing top-level management
There’s a difference between complaining about someone and speaking ill of them. You may appear
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gallant and heroic whenever you insult absent senior executive managers in the presence of junior
employees. On the other hand, some employees will lose respect towards you for choosing to sling
mud at your bosses rather than using correct channels to address your grievances. They may also
fear you will subject them to public humiliation should they act contrary to your expectations.
15. Poor resources allocation

A manager that cannot identify the organization's priorities will end up misusing scarce resources. To
determine the organization's priorities, a manager needs to focus on the overall mission and vision.
Lacking commitment towards the corporate goals means that a manager cannot come up with
effective strategies on how to fully exploit available resources.
You cannot become an effective manager if you don’t let go of the signs highlighted above. The good
news is that you can become a better manager through working on one weakness at a time.
Excited to speak out to the world? Feel free to ask questions or offer your feedback in the comments
section.
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Posted 24 July, 2017
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04/08/2017 15 Signs You Are A Bad Manager | Freelancer Blog

15 Signs You Are A Bad Manager

MANAGEMENT STRATEGY COMMUNICATIONS EMPLOYERS LEADERSHIP RESOURCE LIST

1. Sending mixed signals to employees

2. Lacking open channels for feedback

3. Procrastination Log In Sign Up

4. Disregarding organizational policies

5. Avoiding one-on-one communication with employees

9. Lacking commitment towards the organization’s goals

10. Being dishonest

11. Refusing to recognize achievements

12. Refusing to delegate authority

13. Spending too much time on decision making

14. Bad mouthing top-level management

15. Poor resources allocation

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Posted 24 July, 2017

11 Mistakes To Avoid When Naming Your Business

ENTREPRENEURSHIP / entrepreneurship / lifestyle / employer tips

FREELANCING / freelancing tips / veri cation / trust score

The Freelancer Trust Score

From Idea To Cash In Less Than Seven Days

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