Use Your Worst Boss to Become a Better Leader

I've had some pretty bad bosses in my career. I'm sure you have too.

Here's how you can use your worst boss to help you become a better leader.

For managers

Think about (and potentially write down) what you didn't like about your worst bosses.

Then lead your team by doing the inverse.

If your boss:

• Didn't develop and support you professionally.
• Didn't care about you as a person.
• Surprised you with bad news.

Then:

• Create a development plan for your team members.
• Get to know your team as individuals, not as employees.
• Never surprise people, prioritize transparency.

If you're boss did things that rubbed you the wrong way, it will probably rub others the wrong way too.

For individual contributors

You might not have direct reports but you can still learn from your bad bosses.

Instead of leading down the chain of command, lead up the chain of command. One of the best things you can do for your career is make your bosses life easier.

Think about the behaviors of your worst bosses and what you could have done to lead them in a better direction.

• If they didn't support you, maybe you didn't go out of your way to make your boss look good.
• If they didn't care about you as a person, maybe you should have shown more interest in their life.
• If they weren't transparent with you, maybe you should have asked more questions.

You can't lead your old boss anymore but you can lead your current one.

Don't let the opportunity go to waste

I talked about this on LinkedIn. Comment and let me know your strategies for learning from bad bosses.