Is your boss a wimp? Does he or she not stand up for his or her employees? Do you have to fight for the resources you need to do your job and your boss does nothing to help you?
Does your boss appear to listen only nothing ever changes? Is it truly the fault of your boss or is something else in the organization the underlying issue?
Employees often forget that their boss reports to someone, and frequently it is the culture of the organization that demands deference from its managers. If an organization’s culture is oppressive in nature and forcefully requests that managers follow orders given by their superiors, there may be little opportunity for two-way communication. Perhaps your boss is reporting to a workplace tyrant which may make follow-through virtually impossible.
In an article by Bob Weinstein, he cites a recent study by the Employment Law Alliance in which it states almost half of all employees have been targeted by a bully boss. The same study revealed:
• 81% of bullies are managers
• 50% of bullies are women and 50% are men
A culture of fear and threats does little to motivate people and help the organization meet its objectives. The culture of an organization, however, is driven from the top and any change to the culture requires upper management to alter the way they do business. Ironically, strong, inspirational leadership can have a significant impact on improving the productivity of an organization as witnessed by some of the “Best Places to Work” winners.
In 2008, Dixon-Schwabl was named the Best Small Company to Work for in America. In an interview with Lauren Dixon, CEO, she stated that her main job as a leader was, “90% to make sure my employees are happy and the other 10% I attend client meetings.” During conversations with employees, I felt a loyalty and excitement that I do not feel in many places. The question is in a time of recession does this type of culture make sense?
Last week, I received from Dixon Schwabl their statistics for the year since being named Best Small Company to Work for in America. Karen Sims, Vice President of People and Development stated they had a 42% increase in job applicants, including 300 for one recent opening
• Added 41 new clients
• A 32% increase in revenues
• A 125% increase in college internship applications
Dixon Schwabl is a stellar example of what can be accomplished in any organization with a focus on people and how a leader helps them accomplish the goals of the organization.
So what does one do if their organization was not voted one of the Best Companies to Work for in America and you are working for a wimpy boss? The best option is to communicate to your boss the consequences of not having the necessary resources and do it in a nonthreatening way. Let them know what the impact is on the organization. What problems occur due to the lack of resources and how this will effect the bottom line or product quality? When a manager feels attacked or blamed they become less receptive to your message. Aside from that, you can apply to Dixon Schwabl or one of the other 100 best places to work!
I feel as if my boss is completely passive and out of the loop at work on some of our major projects. And when he has a problem he can’t solve, he simply tries the same thing over and over again (and predictably gets the same results). We are in the middle of an extremely important project right now and I feel as if I (a mere underling) am having to do all of his thinking for him. As for resources we need to do our jobs, he has never been effective at getting them. He never fights for us, he just does ineffective things (like “being patient”) and then gives up. As a result, we’re way more overworked and chaotic than we need to be in completing our tasks. As our important project has continued, I find myself wanting to take a sharper tone with him in e-mails and such. I feel like I am constantly suggesting courses of action for him. In fact our entire organization is like a giant sieve. None of the higher-ups communicate with each other in any sort of coordinated fashion and as a result the work falls on the undersupported lower employees; there is no effective assignment of tasks, management, or anything because our boss is so damned passive.
Donna – I hear your frustration, but encourage you not to take a sharper tone. All individuals have an assertion level ranging from passive to aggressive. When put under stress the individual becomes more of their characteristic, meaning your boss would probably become more passive and introverted, in reaction to the stress. Let’s think of some other ways to confront the issue.
Question: What is the consequence for your boss being so passive if you constantly pick up the slack? I am not suggesting you abandon the ship, but are you also doing the same thing over and over in response to your bosses passivity? All relationships are like a dance. We act and react to one another often the same way over and over. Try something different and change the dance. If you have some suggestions, I would approach your boss watching your tone of voice and body language and ask some questions. “We seem to be facing this situation again and I was wondering”… “Thinking outside the box would you consider trying”… or “Is there another way to” …
Try to figure out what is in it for him/her and you may also want to reinforce anytime he or she shows a little assertion.
Let me know if any of these options might work for you. Good luck!
Boy does your advice to Donna hit home. I know the anger that a wimpy, incompetent boss can inspire in an employee who truly wants to get the job done. But while here I am letting him make me crazy for doing the same thing over and over, that’s exactly what I’m doing in my ‘ho b pe springs eternal’ interactions with him. He’s wimpy, he’s incompetent.