Similar to many employees, you may have had a bad boss at some point during your career. But have you ever had a “monster manager” (as I call them)?
Perhaps you have a monster manager right now?
Monster managers are worse than just bad bosses. This is because of their corrosive effects on company culture, employee engagement, productivity, morale, job satisfaction and company loyalty (among other things).
Monster managers can be malicious, abusive, vicious, or any number of unflattering terms. They discriminate, harass, bully, steal, lie, or commit other unethical behavior and managerial misconduct.
Put simply, monster managers are bad news for employers, not to mention for aggrieved workers who usually suffer in silence under their wrath.
Monster managers create toxic work cultures which eviscerate any semblance of ethical standards, while trampling on employee engagement.
Monster Managers: Toxic Cultures and Tortured Workers (Part 1)
Who Are Monster Managers? And Why Should You Care?
medium.com
Range of Reactions
This is the last of a 5-part limited series examining the irrevocable damage caused by monster managers to employers and employees alike. Readers have offered an interesting range of comments.
A sampling of responses follows…
- Bella Smith
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commented: “This struck a chord, especially the part about how these managers can eviscerate ethics and employee engagement. It reminded me of a time when I worked under a manager whose fear tactics drained our team’s morale. I believe many others will see parts of their own experiences in your words, finding comfort in knowing they’re not alone in facing such challenges.” - Kurt Dillon responded: “I’ve had all kinds of managers as well, and in my own management style, I’ve learned to adopt the philosophy of ‘tread lightly but carry a big stick.’ It’s unfortunate that there is an element of the working class in almost every profession, that actively seek to do as little as possible yet expect to be compensated at the top of the pay scale. Sadly, that element taught me early that you can’t be all ‘sugar and spice’ as a manager, even though you might like to be.”
- Claire Cardwell commented: “I’ve had a few monster managers in my past, including the last two who didn’t feel it was inappropriate to blatantly approach me for sexual favors…”
commented: “This struck a chord, especially the part about how these managers can eviscerate ethics and employee engagement. It reminded me of a time when I worked under a manager whose fear tactics drained our team’s morale. I believe many others will see parts of their own experiences in your words, finding comfort in knowing they’re not alone in facing such challenges.”
“I started working for myself about 20 years ago and I don’t think I could ever work for a boss again!” —Claire Cardwell
Top 3 Reasons Why CEOs Should Fire Monster Managers ASAP! (Part 2)
Failure to remove bad apples includes lost productivity, legal liability and bad PR.
medium.com
- Dr Mehmet Yildiz noted, “I liked your focusing in on a difficult yet essential part of management in organizations. It reminds me of the cancer analogy to remove it as soon as possible to allow the body to survive and thrive.”
- Borut replied: “Firing them is not the best solution to promote productive work culture. Their deviant behavior is just a sign of their issues that need help…we should all (first) try to help them and listen.
If not, we just help their numbers grow and will soon be surrounded with such people. But that means more work for CEOs.” - Bluesapphire commented: “It seems like the previous company I worked at is never going to do this [fire monster managers]. Instead, they harbor these managers. It’s hard when being a monster is a part of the company culture.”
“I have met several bosses of the types you mention. It is exactly the reason why I decided to focus on executive coaching to support others.” —
Liesbeth Leysen
Do You Know the Two Typical Types of Monster Managers? (Part 3)
Is your boss a bully or a bigot? If yes, that’s dangerous for the company and workforce alike.
medium.com
- Nicole Vames Sloane noted, “Having had a monster manager myself, the article really resonated with me…very good info and insights!”
- debasish majumder responded, “Great insights indeed. The remedial measures you mentioned are apt.”
- Aiden (Illumination Gaming) responded: “I like the metaphor of monster managers in this informative story. I’ve had lots of problems with monster managers, so your story inspired me…”
“I fully agree with your points, as those sorts of managers do not bring value to organizations and their clients.” — Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
5 Ways to Engage or Elude Monster Managers (Part 4)
What’s the best solution for workers to fend off a horrible boss?
medium.com
Final Thoughts
I hope all readers can at least agree that monster managers wreak havoc in the workplace with damaging results for the company culture, including (but not limited to) the following:
- Trampling on employee engagement
- Causing morale and job satisfaction to plummet
- Preventing peak performance and productivity
- Increasing employee absenteeism and related healthcare costs
- Stifling innovation by clinging to change resistant bureaucracy
- Causing talented employees (human capital assets) to leave the company and work for the competition or for themselves
This is why it’s critically important for executive management and leadership to comprehend the true extent of the problem and act accordingly. More C-suites need to wake up already, rather than continuing to ignore the negative repercussions wrought by monster managers.
It simply makes good business sense for all employers to make sure their organizations are built on a foundation of strong ethics with professional conduct and personal values.
Effectuating an ethical office environment equates with fewer monster managers and a more positive, healthy workplace. This benefits employees and management alike.
What do YOU think? Please share your valuable comments below…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: I’m a former strategic communications executive and national/global spokesman for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Prior to that, I worked in the White House, Congress, and the news media. You can learn more about me here.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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The post Monster Managers: Reader Reactions Run the Gamut (Part 5) appeared first on The Good Men Project.