Weak Managers !

We used to think that a strong manager was someone with a firm handshake and a commanding tone of voice. We used to think that being a strong manager meant being decisive and having all the answers. Now we know better! Strong managers bend and flex with their environments. They are strong enough to lead through trust instead of fear. They don’t need to bark out orders. They trust their team members. They are strong enough not to be right all the time and not to call the shots. Weak managers bluster and yell at people. They manage through fear. They have to be right — no one on their team can have a better answer to any question than the answer they’ve got.

Weak managers might use a commanding tone of voice, but that’s only because they don’t want anyone to question their authority. They are too weak to engage in spirited debate. They are afraid of what might happen if anyone “beneath” them figures out that they don’t always know what they’re talking about! Working people are waking up to the realization that not every manager or every organization deserves them. You have a lot more power and influence than you think you do — but you only have that influence if you’re willing to use it. That means standing up for yourself and finding your voice at work. We are all stepping into this new territory together.

Here are 11 signs that your boss, no matter how powerful he or she may be on a company organizational chart, is a weak manager who is too fearful to lead through trust. A weak manager can teach you tremendous leadership lessons, but they will be lessons of the type

“Don’t ever lead a team the way this person does!”

1. Your biggest concern at work is staying on the boss’s good side.

2. Your manager gives out much more criticism than praise.

3. Your boss must have the final word on every topic.

4. Your manager doesn’t want you to branch out and try new things.

5. When you have a great idea, you ask yourself “Do I dare share this idea with my boss?”

6. Your manager uses discipline and rules to keep you and your teammates in line.

7. You and your co-workers can easily tell when your manager is mad at one of you.

8. Your boss makes a big deal out of issues like arriving to work ten minutes late on rare occasions. He or she is a stickler for policies and brings the hammer down when any policy is violated.

9. Your manager is known as a scary boss. People in other departments feel sorry for you.

10. You are happy when you finish a workday without having to interact with your boss.

11. If you told your manager that something incredible happened to you — your blog won a writing award, for instance, or you were chosen for a special honor — your boss wouldn’t be happy for you. Your boss doesn’t want anybody to outshine them!

Weak managers are sadly in abundant supply. Too many organizations still promote people to management positions based on their functional competence at the job rather than their communication skills, empathy and other human qualities.