These three habits are sure to make you a drag to work for. Could you be one of these horrible bosses?

Horrible Boss One: The Micro-Manager

A micromanager is not really a manager. A manager is someone who can properly hire, train, motivate, and delegate responsibility with quantifiable success factors. There would be no purpose in micromanaging if a boss hired, trained, and empowered the correct people, and understood how to ensure his/her employees were on task.

Horrible Boss Two: The Introvert

Opposite of the micro-manager, but equally frustrating, is the boss who is invisible. A career is much more than a paycheck; it is a place where skill and education are honed for improvement and growth. A good manager not only manages but motivates, encourages, and provides opportunities for employees to learn new skills and grow within their field. A hands-off manager doesn’t advocate for growth and upward movement.

Horrible Boss Three: The Meeting Monger

In some business arenas, there is an unwritten school of thought that for ‘important meetings,’ one should wear a large, expensive-looking watch, bring an oversized briefcase full of papers, bring a water bottle to sip (so as to seem at ease among such important people), and take up as much physical space as possible (above and below the table) to impose significance. The reason for all of this counsel? Because these meetings are a huge, ego-boosting waste of time. A skilled leader doesn’t need to draw attention to their authority or rank. They know how to decipher the ins and outs of the job or project at hand and then communicate necessary details to the right people, briefly. The meeting monger who wastes hours upon hours in the conference room is only wasting precious, workable minutes and is likely just making a power move.

Conclusion

If you identify with any of these habits, it's important to reflect on how they may be impacting your employees and your overall leadership effectiveness. A successful leader fosters an environment of trust, growth, and clear communication—far removed from micromanagement, invisibility, or excessive meetings.