We have all had to work for at least one in our lifetime. That’s right that passive aggressive, manipulative, unfocused, unqualified, political……..Bosshole. You know exactly who I’m talking about; but why does management not see them for who they are? There is only one thing worse than the Bosshole and that is their supervisor that permits them to exist to do their damage.
In many organizations, Bossholes are passed from one department to another so as to avoid having to deal with the problem. Even worse, sometimes they are given a promotion to justify the move. The fact is, that all too often, by the time the Bosshole is properly dealt with the damage has been done. Good, talented and productive employees become demotivated, burnt out and leave the organization, while the remaining employees that have learned to “game the system” end up driving the organization into chaos.
So how can the Bosshole survive for so long? Here are my six reason why:
1. Some organizational cultures consent to their managers passing off Bossholes from one department to another. Eventually they have been with the company for so long that it becomes impossible to fire them.
2. Management expects their team to deal with the Bosshole, but the reality is they can’t or won’t. Employees have a difficult time giving feedback to their peers.
3. Bossholes are master manipulators. When finally confronted, Bossholes do not hesitate in pulling out all of the stops to redirect the attention to some other employee.
4. Bossholes are not necessarily always poor performers. Some can be great producers for the orgnization. Their “good” results, such as increasing revenue and profits, may make management reluctant to confront them, much less get rid of them altogether.
5. Management is afraid to terminate Bossholes for fear of legal retribution. Bossholes, by definition, can be troublemakers. Consequently, it is accepted that people who instigate problems working inside a company are more apt to also cause problems on their way out.
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