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Ten
Warning Signs of a Toxic Boss
We've all heard stories about the nightmare of working for a
toxic boss. Some of us have even had the unique displeasure of doing so
ourselves.
Red flags to such behavior often appear as soon as the
interview process. We've compiled 10 early warning signs of a toxic boss. Heed
this advice, and you might be able to avoid a negative work environment -- or at
least know what you're in for:
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Disrespectful Behavior:
"Don't overlook unprofessional behavior, such as emails that aren't
returned or disregard for stop and start times for the interview without
apology," says Anna Maravelas, president of TheraRising.com and author
of How to Reduce Workplace Conflict and Stress. "These mini-moments are
microcosms of your potential supervisor's style."
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Visual Cues:
"If your boss scans you from head to waist versus waist to head as they
extend their hand in greeting you, they are intuitively sending a message
that you are smaller than they are," explains Zannah Hackett, author of
The Ancient Wisdom of Matchmaking. Though subtle, it's the nonverbal
equivalent of a belittling comment. "This is not a good sign that your
talents are going to flourish in this environment."
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Defensive Body Language:
"An insecure boss will find you threatening if you are good at your job
and will use the power of the position to make your life miserable,"
says Pamela Lenehan, president of Ridge Hill Consulting and author of What
You Don't Know and Your Boss Won't Tell You. Watch for constant shifting,
avoiding eye contact or rifling through papers as you talk, she notes.
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Bad Attitude: If
your interviewer exhibits a general lack of enthusiasm or interest in the
company, watch out, warns Donna Flagg, a principal with human resources and
management consulting firm The Krysalis Group. It could be a bad day, or it
could be a bad boss. "Ask for company turnover [data] and turnover
[data] for that individual manager," she suggests.
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Excessive Nervousness:
Don't ignore extreme behavior, cautions one worker. "My boss used to
eat sugar packets and raisins, and she downed them with large cups of black
espresso," she recalls. "And she spoke in triplets: ‘hi, hi,
hi,' ‘good, good, good,' ‘when, when, when.' Her stress level
telegraphed to everyone in the department."
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Distrust of Others:
A toxic boss "openly displays a lack of trust in people, especially for
those on the team in which he or she is supposed to lead".
Ask what the company's problems are and what their causes
might be. "If the answers to these questions consist of blaming others
in the organization, especially those on his or her team, the person lacks
trust in others,"
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Fear Used as a Motivator:
Ask the prospective boss about others on the team with whom you will be
working -- specifically, how well they work together, stay focused and meet
objectives. Be wary if the response identifies a lack of respect for people.
When managers disrespect and distrust others' motivations, they resort to
extrinsic means with which to motivate, such as threats, public humiliation
and comments about layoffs.
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Word Choice:
"Your ears are your best hunch barometer,". Our choice of words
sets up a dynamic that can raise or lower the energy in a room. If they
begin every sentence with a negative message and then try to diffuse it
somewhat, it is likely that negativity prevails in their life and carries
over into work.
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Extreme Friendliness:
"It may sound odd, but what should have tipped me off was how nice she
was," one administrative assistant says of her toxic boss. "I
compare it to children being lured into dangerous situations with candy. How
many kids don't want candy? And how many adults don't want to work for a
boss who is nice? It was a trap I could've easily avoided had I caught on
earlier."
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Self-Absorption:
"If his ideas seem to be more important than finding out about your
ideas, or if you provide an answer and the interviewer tells you you're
wrong or interrupts with his own answer to the question, it may be an
indication that he will be difficult to work with," notes one technical
support staffer.
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