Dealing with the "No-Boss Boss"

So what is a “bad” boss? Essentially, any boss who is difficult and hard to deal with or who has trouble directing and guiding employees to effectively do the work can qualify as a bad boss.

One of the most frustrating kinds of bad bosses is the boss who really isn’t there: the “no-boss boss. ” This is the opposite of the overly aggressive, controlling, or micromanaging boss. It’s the boss who manages by not managing; the leader who leads by not leading. This boss often does not make decisions and lets things ride until someone else has to make the decision. He’s a boss who often does not know what is going on and depends on subordinates to know. In short, this boss may have the title, but in fact has left the ship without a captain. As a result, management and leadership by default fall onto the employees. But this is not the same as a self-managed team, where team members have a clear idea of what they are doing, know who’s in charge, understand the limits of their authority, and set their goals and tasks to get there. Instead, there is more of a sense of muddling along and filling in because the boss’s lack of management has created a leadership vacuum.

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