Bad Leader Chronicle: Ineffective Feedback

#ambersbadleaderchronicles

My goal is to share brief stories about ineffective leaders with practical tips on how to apply highly effective behaviors & skills.

I worked for a company that enabled a toxic, ineffective manager (he was revenue-producing). Everyone knew he was a problem (it wasn’t a secret). Even clients knew he was problematic. One time, I brought it up to my boss in the sense of – ‘I know you know he’s a problem…. if nothing is done, employees are going to leave.’ 

How did my boss respond to me? The only thing he said to me was that I need to be better at “dealing with difficult people.” REALLY?! Not only is that not a helpful response, but, it’s extremely disengaging. 

Flipping the script back on the person bringing up the problem without any empathy, without seeking to understand, and without coaching and problem-solving is the sign of a highly INEFFECTIVE leader. My boss did not have authority and/or didn’t feel comfortable to do anything about it. 

What could he done to exhibit highly effective leadership behavior? 

📌 listen to feedback, 

📌 accept responsibility (if applicable), 

📌 support your team, 

📌 step up to solve problems. 

I could have told him about the millions of times I’ve been the sole point of contact for dealing with difficult people where I empathized, and problem-solved to the point of customer satisfaction. In fact, I probably have much MORE of this experience than anyone because I have a white-glove service industry background. 

The results? The toxic, ineffective manager is still there. My boss is still there in the same position. And many people have quit the organization, including the ones who worked directly under the toxic manager.

Several of my clients tell me about times their managers do this. Most recently, one of them told me her boss’s feedback was that they (my client + her team) need to “be adaptable” (the boss is a micromanager, control freak, and consistently creates unnecessary last-minute urgent fire drills, which has already caused one of my client’s employees to leave). Previously, they had constructive conversations about the boss’s micromanaging, although there hasn’t been any change in behavior.

PLEASE, PLEASE DON’T DO THIS.