Less Common Signs You Have a Bad Manager - The Muse

Less Common Signs You Have a Bad Manager - The MuseLess Common Signs You Have a Bad Manager Its pretty obvious when you have a horrible boss. From the verbal abuse to the micromanaging to the refusal to respect your time, it doesnt take a genius to recognize when your manager is the sole cause of your misery.But sometimes, the signs arent so obvious. Especially when the person you report to is likable, perfectly pleasant, and competent. But those traits dont mean jack if, actually, your boss isnt a good boss. In fact, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but its entirely possible that what you have on your hands is a bad manager, and its high time you face it, unless you dont give a fig about your career.These five signs might surprise you, but stop for a second and think about the damage theyre causing (think stunted career and lack of advancement). While it might be nice to work under someone you get along with, thats far from the only thing you should value in this relationship.1 . They Never Offer Critical FeedbackTheres always plenty of praise. Your supervisor knows how to say thank you and lets you know youre doing good work, but they dont know how to give you constructive feedback, which can ultimately help you produce better work and grow you into a leader yourself. What to DoAsk for feedback. Say, I appreciate hearing what Im doing well, but Im always looking to improve, and so itd be useful to me if you were able to start incorporating critical feedback into our meetings so I know what to focus on.2. They Dont Recognize Your PotentialYou may be OK with the way things are going at work. You wouldnt exactly say youre coasting- you just know how to do your job really well. After all, youve been doing the same thing for the past two and a half years. Youve been given mora tasks, and you always handle them with aplomb. Dont mistake this with growth or realized potential. If its true that youve been handling the same items since you started (even if your to -do list has steadily increased), you may be stuck in a rut, your mental muscles atrophying. What to DoArticulate your desire to expand your skill set and take on more responsibility that goes beyond simply taking on more of what you already do. If your request goes unheard and nothing changes, it might be time to look for a new job, one where you can make the most of your abilities and rise through the ranks like you deserve. 3. They Have No Idea How Hard Youre WorkingYour manager sees you in the office and assumes your hours are more or less similar to theirs. The reality, however, is that youre doing a couple of hours of work each night and many more over the weekend. Your vacations are not unplugged. Nope, youre answering to clients and putting in an hour of work during your morning commute. If you did the math, youd estimate youre working about 65 hours a week. You like the work, so its not the worst thing ever, but its stressful and exhausting. What to DoAdmitting youre feelin g overworked and overwhelmed isnt fun, but its necessary if, all things considered, youre happy doing what youre doing, but you just cant sustain the pace. Muse writer Jennifer Winter offers three options for broaching this tough topic.4. They Play Favorites (and Youre the Favorite)Its nice to be the teachers pet, isnt it? Who doesnt want to be appreciated by the person in dienstgrad of their paycheck? Step back though and try to put yourself in others shoes and ask yourself how it would feel to have your manager favor your co-worker and regularly snub you. Being best buddies might feel good in the moment, but its inappropriate and unprofessional, and it isnt teaching you a darn thing.What to DoSince you probably dont want to call him out for this behavior, you can try to work around it. Praise your co-workers efforts and regularly point out the teamwork involved in completing projects. This might as well be called advanced managing up. Your goal is not to get him to start ignoring you, but to envelop the whole team5. They Prioritize the Team Over the CompanyYour managers super territorial and cares about each and every person on their team like youre all their own children. The work your group is responsible for is the number one priority, and, as a result, they often reject cross-collaboration opportunities with other teams or refuse to modify their way of thinking and doing to better work as a whole company and not just a small part of it.What to DoThe next time you get wind of a project that would allow you to work with another department, speak up before they have a gunst der stunde to pass it onto someone else. Let them know you recognize your priorities within the team but that youre also quite interested in this new initiative and think it would ultimately benefit the company if you were able to spend time on things that speak to the organizations overall mission.The good news is that most of these situations can be resolved with a frank conversation. Considering the nightmarish work situations out there, these arent so awful. Still, you dont want to be deceived by seemingly harmless things that could negatively impact your career. And the sooner you take action, the sooner you can get ahead.