Mitigate Mid-Management Tyrant Behavior

Tyrannical bosses can do a lot of damage in organizations. In particular, there are two types of bad bosses I hear the most about in the workplace – bullying and overly demanding. Both types can make subordinates fearful. When people are in a protective mode, it interferes with the company’s ability to generate innovation. As a senior manager, you must take action when you see these behaviors or “TOTs” running amok in your organization.

As I describe in the Forbes article How to Deal With a Bullying Boss, there are many types of bullying bosses. They can run the gambit from the covert, fear-provoking bully to those who throw tirades and intimidate employees continuously. You may see him as a high performer — as is the overly demanding boss — but your clue that something is wrong with his management style is too much employee turnover.

As I point out in the article, “Bullying in the workplace is similar to the school playground in that people are being demeaned or exploited. But in the office, bullying is far more subversive and challenging to overcome. These grown bullies are adept at finding non-assertive victims and staying under the radar.” There are 10 tips on how to handle a bullying boss plus an interesting list from the Workplace Bullying Institute of the 25 most common tactics adopted by bullies. Take a look at the article and then examine employee morale.

An overly demanding boss — one who sets unrealistic or extremely high standards — can make employees feel as if they work constantly under the gun. In 10 Tips For Dealing With An Overly Demanding Boss, I explain to Forbes readers how an overly demanding boss doesn’t empathize or understand what’s required of his staff to deliver results, and he will keep pushing them until they take action — which as a senior manager, you want to avoid. The easy path for senior management is to think: “It will work itself out” — but it rarely does.

Boosting Productivity

Besides mitigating TOT behavior, as I explain in 14 Things You Should Do at the Start of Every Work Day (Forbes) “Having a good start to the day where you have greater control is critical in achieving better results, and ultimately greater career [and organizational] success.” How you end the day is equally critical, as it has much to do with how you start the next day. In 16 Things You Should Do At The End Of Every Work Day (Forbes) I mention:  “It’s half of the puzzle of being productive. Both pieces are like bookends that carry extra weight relative to what happens in between. They’re like first and last impressions that hold tremendous impact on your view of your work, attitude and productivity level.”

Both articles on starting and ending your day will help you take charge of the situation no matter what garden variety of office tyrant you must manage in your workplace.