There are a lot of bad bosses out there. In a recent survey, the majority of workers reported they either had worked or currently work for a micromanager. And micromanagers aren’t the only types of bad bosses out there. So, it’s safe to assume a significant percentage of bosses are…less than ideal.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth about bad bosses. Most of them don’t know they’re bad. Most of them don’t think they’re bad. And in fact, most of them aren’t bad. They just need to shift their style a little bit.

Leaders are constantly balancing two tensions on the culture of their teams. One tension is between people and productivity—how much do we emphasis tasks and objectives and how much do we focus on people? The second tension is between rules and risk—how much do I enforce the letter of the law and how much do I trust my team to take risks?

And bad bosses are usually just overemphasizing one of these elements. That overemphasis creates four distinct types of bad bosses. And in this episode, we’ll review all four and offer some suggestions on how to keep things in balance.

0:00 Introduction

Positive leaders hit the sweet spot. They balance the tension between productivity and people, and the tension between rules and risk. And they keep some flexibility to move based on the situation or individuals on the team, but they know that the goal is balance and so even if they overemphasize one element for a time, they bring it back to balance as soon as possible. Great teams keep the same elements in balance as well. And that balance lets everyone on the team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

//ABOUT DAVID

He is the best-selling author of four books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Fast Company, the Financial Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and CBS This Morning. Since 2017, Burkus has been ranked as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50. As a sought-after international speaker, his TED Talk has been viewed over 2 million times. He’s worked with leaders from organizations across all industries including Google, Stryker, Fidelity, Viacom, and even the US Naval Academy.

A former business school professor, Burkus holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Oklahoma, and a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University.

//SPEAKING

//CONNECT

//MUSIC