Surviving Poor Management 14: Yours May Not Be So Bad

This continues our series on how to survive poor management at work and grow

Glen worked for a company with bad management. A friend of his wanted to change jobs to escape what he perceived as manipulative management. Glen hesitated because he didn’t think his friend would want to work in their poor environment, but gave his friend 4 names to contact. His friend reported back about how everyone complained about management. Then, he said “Your contacts thought they worked for poor management. Poor management is when your boss tells you at 4:55 on Halloween night. ‘Some of you may want to go home early to be with your family for Halloween. But the company will lay off 195 this Friday. So, you better reconsider what would be best for your family.’”

You Think You Have It Bad…

We’ve spent the last few posts reviewing indications and symptoms of poor management. Today, we want to examine how you can recognize that your management may not be so bad.

The old adage declares that “familiarity breeds contempt.” In other words, the more you get to know someone, the more you see the negative or bad things about them. We find this when consulting people about applying for internal promotions. Management tends to discuss the weaknesses of internal candidates and discuss the strengths of external candidates.

You, therefore, may observe the flaws of your management team more than their good traits. Continued exposure in the on-going workplace may highlight the blemishes and may enhance your frustration.

…It Could Be Worse

Yet, you may want to compare your management with others in today’s chaotic workplace. You may find—when you really explore deeply—that you are

• Ignoring strengths in your management
• Breeding more frustrations by your complaining and fault-finding
• Exhibiting more traits of bad managers than your managers do

In addition, you may find that management in other companies possess more:

• Confusion, chaos, and disorganization
• Disrespect, abuse, and overwork of their employees
• Divisive and contentious workplace
• Harsh, cool, aloof, or strained environment

Friday we explore how to change poor management into good, if you can

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