By Dan Bobinski

I’ve decided to pen an open letter on behalf of mismanaged employees everywhere. After 20+ years of training and consulting in hundreds of companies of all shapes and sizes, I’ve seen many managers who think they’re strong, but are not. And their teams suffer as a result.

Sometimes these managers are easy to spot, openly flaunting their iron-fisted “my way or the highway” approach. Other times they talk the talk when it’s expedient to do so, but manage with a large hammer, thwacking anything (or anyone) to impose their will. And yes, sometimes such self-deluded managers don’t rant or rave much at all, but they still view their frontline employees as know-nothings.

Perhaps you’ve seen managers do these things. I know I have. And, because some of their team members approach me privately to plead for help, I’ve decided to write this open letter on their behalf.

If you manage other people, this may or may not apply to you. If it doesn’t apply, don’t sweat it. But if it applies, I hope you seriously consider making a change within yourself. It will require thinking about the ripple effects of your actions and considering other ways of influencing your workplace. Chances are that making a few changes in how you approach people will net great gains in how they respond.

And so, on behalf of those who can’t write this without being fired:

Dear Boss,

This letter will be blunt, but it needs to be. Let me start by saying that everyone here thinks you’re a hypocrite. Last week you lectured us for almost an hour about how we need to read and adhere to Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits. We fought rolling our eyes during your condescending “training” about the need for us to “think win/win” and to “seek first to understand.” Since you took over last year, we’ve never seen you do this even once.

In fact, just this morning I watched you standing near the front office, openly criticizing a coworker without asking for her side of the story. So much for thinking win/win and seeking first to understand.

Not only did you do this in front of other employees, but four customers in the reception area overheard your all-too-typical intimidation. I’m guessing they weren’t too impressed, but if I were a betting man I’d put money on you saying that “they’ll just have to deal with it.” After all, we hear that phrase from you all the time.

And you wonder why some of our customers—and coworkers—leave for the competition?

Haven’t you heard that people follow as they are led? If you would practice what you preach, you might actually get the team effort you keep telling us you want.

While I’m speaking my heart, let me also bring up your iron grip on how decisions are made. Your “my way or the highway” style flies in the face of the “let’s consider all ideas” mantra you were promoting a few months ago. When some of us tried a little brainstorming at one of our planning meetings, you cut us all off at every turn with “that won’t work” and sometimes your famously sarcastic “now that’s a bright idea.”

It doesn’t take but two or three of those zingers for people to stop participating and simply let you decide what you want us to do. And then you wonder why people won’t contribute in meetings anymore.

Everyone on the team thinks you’re messing things up, boss. We used to have a passion for what we do. We were eager to come to work and give it our all. We loved the challenge. But since you became the manager you have squelched every drop of enthusiasm we had. Now we just show up to endure another day and collect our paycheck. It never used to be this way, but basic survival is a strong enough instinct to keep us coming in. Well, for some of us, anyway. I’ll bring up again the fact that some of our best workers have moved on.

One more thing I need to say. You know how you tell us that we’re “replaceable” whenever something happens that you don’t like? First of all, it doesn’t make us want to work harder for you. And second, every one of us believes that even if you do replace us, any energetic new-hires will soon shut down their initiative and passion, the same as we have.

Please think about it, boss, because your current management style is not the best way to get results. Other methods are available, and I guarantee we would respond more positively if you would choose them. All you need to do is choose them.

Share This

Filed in Motivation, Management, Leadership, Team Building, Workplace, Corporate Culture