1. He has others fire his direct reports.
This probably is the most cowardly act of the cowardly boss.
I’ve seen this first hand, and probably so have you. If your boss does this, he likes having the authority of his position, but not the responsibility.
And, he does not deserve you.
2. She will make a decision in private, then fail to protect her people in public if it does not work.
This is the classic behavior of someone who lacks confidence and is afraid of making mistakes.
And, she is someone you cannot trust.
3. He tells each person in private what the person “wants to hear,” which means he’s delivering different messages to each.
This is referred to as “divide and conquer.” Rather than having a consistent message and leading by example, he tries to control everyone around him.
And, he is a truly terrible leader.
4. She will not have face-to-face meetings to resolve conflicts.
This behavior goes hand in hand with delivering different messages to each person. If she gets everyone in the same room to resolve differences, or expose and deal with problems, she can’t divide and and conquer.
And, she has blown her cover.
5. He slips in a negative comment about one of your colleagues in every conversation.
You may think he’s complimenting you by confiding in you. But you can bet he does the same when speaking about you.
And, he is a jerk.
6. She really never says anything personal about herself.
She does not make personal connections with people, putting herself above all else – even the company. She is someone who doesn’t really want you to get to know her.
And, if you think about it, why would you want to?
In my decades as a communications consultant, I have worked directly with, and observed, hundreds people who are bosses. The best are genuine, expose their own weaknesses, deal with controversy directly, and do not sweep issues under the rug so they become larger problems.
The worst are cowards – and the way they go about trying to hide their insecurities have just the opposite effect. You can see their fear a mile away.
Now, the question is: Do you have the strength to leave that cowardly boss and find a new one who is a true brave leader?
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