Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/555302
August 2015 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com 31 THE BLEEDING EDGE If you do happen to be a bad boss, what are the traits that are sabotaging the company you exist within? Here are 10 of the most common " bad bosses:" THE MICRO-MANAGER. Tis is a boss who has to make every decision personally. Or, worse yet, reviews all decisions made by workers and reverses them or over-rules them long afer the fact. Micro-managers may seem to be concerned and involved, but they are terrifed they will be blamed if a member of the team makes a mistake – and therefore they have to be in total charge of every facet of every task. THE KNOW-IT-ALL. Bosses may know a lot about the core business of the frm. Tis is especially true in small CPA firms, where the m a n a g e r s m a y h a v e a w e s o m e accounting, tax and audit skills. Tat does not, however, mean that they are well-organized, have great client man- agement skills, or know how to manage such intricate specializations as human resources, marketing , new product assessment or client retention. Almost no partner or boss is truly a master of all facets of the business. Tey may just think they are. THE "CAN-DO" BOSS. This is the boss or partner who com- mits you and the frm to meet a new and tight deadline o n a s h o e s t r i n g budget – in addition to all of the other work already being done. Tis can stress the entire frm to the limit. An occasional "impossible" job done well, in which workers share in the glory and reward, is fne. But if this is a regular event, good workers will fee from the aggravation and lack of recognition. THE PAPER- PUSHER. A boss who has no management skills and knows it may i n s tead d e m a n d that workers protect him or her by fling repor ts on ever y single facet of every task. In this way, if anything at all goes wrong the boss can show in excruciating detail that it was not their fault. Tis style of manager will have workers spending so much time writing and fling paper that they have litle time to do anything productive. One major clue: the boss who requires that every action, decision and project be autho- rized in advance and in writing before work can be started. THE WATCHER. Technology is a wonderful thing, unless it is abused by the micro-managing bad boss. Tese are the bosses who install time clocks to log workers in and out, who install cameras in every ofce so that employees can be monitored every moment of the day, or those who use time sheets as a management tool rather than a billing tool. THE BEST FRIEND. Part of the morale-building in small f irms revolves aro u n d g ro u p events – lunches, p i z z a p a r t i e s , birthday celebra- tions and so on. But some bosses aren't interested in morale-building – they just want friends and can't fnd them on their own. Tey become con- fidants and bar buddies, after-work dinner friends, and sharers of intimate personal insights. It's like working for your life partner, but infnitely more dangerous to your career. THE OFFICE GOSSIP. Some bosses just love to gossip – espe- cially about people who work for them. Tey choose favorites to be the recipients of this information, and confde in private to some employees about others. Tey pit one employee against another for their personal amusement, using gossip in the place of formal performance reviews and honest feedback. Bad bosses use gossip to maintain their own power, destroying anyone with the potential to displace them. THE WORKAHOLIC. Te workaholic is on the job 24/7, and likes it that way. They have little need for or under- standing of life/ w o r k b a l a n c e . Worse yet , they insist that everyone w h o w o r k s f o r t h e m a l s o b e a workaholic. They call staf meetings on Sunday mornings. Tey insist that workers be available at all hours afer work in case they or a client needs something. Tey have the whole company work late on Christmas Eve, just in case a client might possible still be working and need something. If the boss wants to be a workaholic, fne. You don't need to be one as well. THE LIAR. Want to take a beter position? Te Liar will counter-ofer to keep you, but fre you a few months later for disloyalty. The Liar will promise promotions a n d r a i s e s f o r y o u r excellent work, but will never deliver. Remember, ever y dollar into your pocket is a dollar less in his or hers. Te frst time a boss fails to deliver on a promise without a good explanation should be the last day you work for that frm. THE SCREAMER. There are people who simply derive pleasure in abusing other people, and many of them are in management positions. These are the ones who scream at their staf, belitle them, refuse to listen to their ideas, and who throw temper tantrums when things go wrong. No part of verbal or emotional abuse should be tolerated by a bad boss, but unfor tunately many professionals believe that if they take the abuse they will eventually be rewarded. Tey won't. Tere are other types of bad bosses -- the ofce Romeo, the alcoholic or dr ug-affected boss, the emotional cripple, the Scrooge, and even the boss who lets his or her spouse run the company in the background. The problem with bad bosses is that they seldom recognize themselves. Par ticularly in smal l f irms, the bosses themselves may not undergo any performance evaluation each year. Good bosses will seek out feedback on how well they are doing and how they may improve as managers – through sug gest i o n b ox es o r an o ny m o u s feedback forms. Bad bosses do not. But there is nothing to stop staff members from making a copy of this article, high- lighting the appropriate points, and leaving it on their boss's desk.