27 Traits of a Great Boss vs. a Terrible Manager
And how to spot the difference
A great boss is like a star:
Shining the spotlight on the talents and achievements of their team.
Bad managers are like a black hole.
Hogging all the attention and recognition for themselves.
A great boss is like a teacher:
Helping their team learn and grow.
Bad managers are like stubborn students. They don’t appreciate new perspectives.
A great boss is like a sponge:
Absorbing information and perspectives before forming a viewpoint.
Bad managers are like a closed book.
Pretending to be open-minded but unwilling to listen to others' opinions.
A great boss encourages creativity and innovation.
Bad managers don't let you be creative and come up with new ideas.
A great boss is like a team player:
Attributing every success to their team and taking the blame for failures.
Bad managers are like lone wolves.
Taking personal credit and finding ways to blame others when things go wrong.
A great boss is adaptable and open to change
Bad managers resist change and cling to outdated ways of doing things.
A great boss is like a coach:
Hiring people who are much smarter and more skilled than they are to create a winning team.
Bad managers are like a player-coach, wanting to be the best and smartest person on the team.
A great boss recognizes and rewards hard work
Bad managers take credit for the work of others.
A great boss is like a general:
Identifying internal candidates to replace themselves and ensure the company's success.
Bad managers are like a dictator.
Living in fear of their replacement and making it difficult for the company to find a successor.
A great boss is like a timekeeper:
Taking care to plan their calendars in ways that allow for time with their team.
Bad managers are like a procrastinator.
Never looking ahead and always catching up, stressed out, and with no time to listen to others.
A great boss is like a responsible adult:
Always apologizing if they made a mistake and taking accountability for their actions.
Bad managers are like a child, throwing others under the bus to save their own a$$ :)
A great boss knows how to communicate and listen to feedback
Bad managers are