Bad Boss Part 2 – Why are Bad Managers Still Around?

Here’s part 2 of Bad Boss. This isn’t so much a story of a bad boss but answering the question of why do bad managers not get fired. Watch and see if you agree.

There are tons of people out on social media giving business advice. Some of it is good advice, but most of it isn’t good. In this new series watch CapForge’s owner react to different advice videos. He’s an expert in all things business and has 20+ years of experience under his belt. Some of the things he reacts to might even surprise you!

Video Transcript: 

Business Advice Video:

Why do bad managers stay? Well, I think there’s a couple of reasons. One is usually bad managers still are getting results on some level and results are the language of the business. So they may be a horrible manager but they’re still getting results. The other reason is people don’t dare report them to HR cause there’s a power dynamic and HR usually isn’t gonna fire a manager on one complaint. You know it has to be a pattern of multiple complaints over time and then finally something gets done. But it is a frustrating thing for sure.

Matt’s Reaction:

Okay so, the question is, why do bad managers stay? Why don’t they get replaced with better managers? I would say it’s because there’s a huge shortage of good managers and a lot of times companies are doing the best they can with the people they’ve been able to get. And would any company love to have all good managers, who have inspired motivated staff under them, with great ability to manage people and get top-notch results? Of course. But bad managers happen because sometimes there’s no one to take their place. Because there’s no one to show them how to be a better manager. They’re managing the way they were taught and the way the company culture allows them to continue to manage. Or sometimes that’s just the best they can do. So there’s a lot of reasons for bad managers. If you’re the company owner you wanna root that out and fix it as quickly as you can. Cause nothing will sink a company faster than bad middle management but it’s a lot harder said than done. And there’s a million reasons bad managers are still around. She named two but that’s definitely not the whole story.