So what makes lunatic bosses act the way they do? Brian Stern, president
of management consulting firm Shaker Consulting Group, contends that
tyrannical behaviour often stems from bosses not knowing what they're
doing.
A false assumption is thinking that bosses actually know how to manage
people. Mention the word "boss" and we immediately think that the person
has some special abilities or training. There are rules and training
programs for almost every conceivable job, from sanitation engineer to
nuclear physicist, but no set curriculum teaches you how to be a boss.
An obvious way to compensate
for a lack of skills is to be tough and unyielding. You stand a better
chance of being left alone and unquestioned this way. Yet training alone won't turn a crazy boss into a sane manager.
Tyrannical bosses come in one of two packages. "The first is the
hard-nosed, tough, demanding perfectionist," says Stern. "They can be
difficult to work with, but they will listen to reason because they're
all about doing the best job they can. They also know that talented
people make things happen. But they can drive you nuts trying to achieve
goals."
The second type, however, is even more difficult to work with, says
Stern. "They are unyielding control freaks and have a total disregard
for the facts. They demand that things be done their way."
You may have one mixing and matching the two.... Dealing with humans is not their strong suits.
