In the world of employees, a good boss is differentiated from a bad boss, by how the boss makes employees feel. Sure, a lot more goes into the painting of a boss as good or bad, but it all starts with how the boss makes employees feel. For every good boss, it seems as if there are two that are bad. And, employees paint bad in many colors. In a poll that I ran for years at my About.com website, the number one factor that made a bad boss—bad—was the failure of the boss to provide clear direction and goals for the reporting employees.
Of course, bosses who never recognize or thank employees are thought of as bad, too. Then, there are bully bosses who target employees and mistreat them through criticism, yelling nasty behavior, and more. These are the worst bad bosses because they are out of control and mean spirited. You can deal with a boss who is a bully, but it takes professional courage to try.
Are you concerned that your reporting employees think that you are a bad boss? Have you asked them for feedback? That’s the best way to find out what employees think of you. Know, though, that you will never get honest feedback unless you have created an environment in which employees are not afraid to speak up
In the meantime, if you are genuinely interested, your Human Resources staff receives employee feedback regularly. You might ask HR about how your employees perceive you. This gives you some information that will allow you to work on an environment in which employees can comfortably offer feedback.
You will also want to take a look at 10 reasons why your employees may hate you. These are a good place to start changing your ways if you want to be looked up to, trusted, and admired by the employees who report to you.