Antidote/noun

1 A medicine given to counteract the effects of a poison (or, formerly, a disease). (Foll. by against, for, to.).

2 fig. Something which counteracts an evil. (With constructions as sense 1.)

Although the title of this blog suggests that it is about how to overcome bad management (which is, actually, a process) it is written more for those who are bad managers, instead. My only reason for this subterfuge is that if had alluded to that in my blog’s title, no bad manager would ever read this blog or even come this far reading it. Why? No bad manager believes that they are who everyone thinks that they are! Even Saddam Hussain saw himself as an effective and benevolent leader!

Actually, I should not be complaining about bad managers; a large chunk of my coaching practice flows from clients that come to me complaining about their managers, who are causing them grief. When clients come complaining about their bad manager(s) our strategy in dealing with such manager depends on what their exact situation is and what actions to take to learn from such behavior and how to prepare themselves to deal with yet another one in some future next chapter of their career or job.

Despite my clients’ strong desire to immediately run away from such tyrants my advice has always been to first learn how to deal with them and to build your immunity against such dysfunctional managers. This is because nearly 80% of the mangers fall in this category and your odds of running into a better next manager are 5:1 against you!

So, if any manager (this includes all titles in which people/teams are reporting to them, all the way up to and including CEOs) has come this far reading my blog I’d like to offer the following tips to consider in improving your managerial approach for a happier, more harmonious, and more inspired environment in which your people will work for you. If you heed these recommendations in your management approach you, too, will lead a happier and more rewarding life:

1. Management/Technical Work Ratio: Some managers never internalize the true function of their role. Right from the time they get promoted from an individual contributor to first-level manager they do not recognize that to succeed (and to make their team successful) in the new managerial role they must understand the four functions of managing: Leading, Planning, Organizing, and setting up Controls. Everything else is technical work. As one moves up with higher titles the amount of time they spend doing technical work progressively must decrease. Not understanding this simple calculus (and obligation) can not only cause grief to your team, but to your entire organization in lost opportunities; Big time!
2. Establish Parameters: Each member of the team reporting to you is different. So, take the time to understand what motivates them and what brings out the best in each of them. Although you must treat all team members with equal consideration treating them as individuals actually furthers that spirit in a big way. Most managers have no clue how to do this well!
3. Hands-on is NOT Micromanagement: Most managers take great pride by being “hands-on” and being seen by their higher ups as that. Most managers also do not understand the difference in behavior of a hands-on leader/manager (a good thing) and a micromanager (a bad thing). Learn the difference between the two by checking with your directs and see what level of intervention they need to succeed in their tasks and roles. Once again, apply the criterion of #2.
4. Create Accountabilities: Going back to my first point of understanding the four functions of management one of the major failings of a bad manager is not taking the time to set the context of an assignment to their directs and making up the assignment as it evolves, instead, and frustrating the team members with contradictory or impossible assignments. It takes time, effort, and understanding to lay out a complete assignment and clarity of task’s breakdown so each team member has a full understanding of their obligation and role in the team for the new assignment. This is true management work. Creating accountabilities and waypoints/milestones is part of this process. Take the time to do this right up-front and see your team comes through and how much easier it makes your job later on.
5. Catch people doing things right: Bad managers are good at the “gotchyas,” not at their “attaboys.” So, open your eyes to all the good things your team members are doing and give them a spontaneous “attaboy” and surprise them. Send them a hand-written note or an email with specific details of what they did well and see their reaction and the spirit it creates in your team.
6. False promises: With all the encounters I’ve had in my practice of clients complaining about bad mangers this items tops the list. Avoid making promises that you cannot keep. If you make a conditional promise (If you deliver this project I’ll recommend you for a promotion) make sure that your direct understands what is within your control and what is not. This way if your superiors do not come through you are not seen as making false promises. Also, when you make such a promise go the extra mile to ensure that you have done all that you can to fulfill your end of the promise.
7. Check your messaging: Many managers are glib talkers. In fact some of them are so skilled at talking in elegant, charming, and impressive rhetoric that their audience is impressed by how they talk. Yet, when you ask that same audience what they heard and what it means to them in their everyday obligation to their boss, few will be able to summarize what they just heard in terms that are actionable. This is bad messaging. Always check back on important messages by asking your directs what they heard and what they are going to do. Learn how to correct your errant ways of messaging and try using less intimidating and highfaluting lexicon in everyday messages.

These are just a sampling of what I hear from my clients as common themes of bad managers that throttle their actions, crush their spirit, and stifle their creativity. Why not learn how to deal with these behaviors and improve your managerial effectiveness? See how much better you’ll feel and how much better your team will perform.

Good luck!