Are You the Devil Boss?

Want a conversation starter? Ask people for their worst boss story. Everyone's got one, and you'll hear stories that range from the amusing to the downright horrifying. In fact, you're probably remembering your worst boss experience right now and either chuckling or shuddering.

But while listening to someone else's bad boss makes for a good laugh, living with one of your own is downright miserable. What are the hallmarks of a truly bad boss? A 2006 Florida State University survey of 700 people on their opinions about supervisors found that bad management behavior involved:

Supervisors giving employees the silent treatment (31 percent); failing to give employees credit for accomplishments (37 percent); failing to keep promises (39 percent); making negative comments about someone to other employees or managers (27 percent); invading an employee's privacy (24 percent); and blaming others to cover up mistakes or minimize embarrassment (23 percent).

If you recognize yourself in any of those, do your staff a favor and get thee to some management training.

Remember, even a good boss is capable of hellacious behavior. One editor I worked for twirled my chair around in the newsroom to publicly scream at me for not running a story that the competition had run. My explanation was I had covered the story and we had published itthree days earlier. During a heated debate with another boss, she suddenly whipped off her top and finished the discussion in her sports bra. (She won.) And no, neither of these are people I work with now.

The primary reason people leave a job is because of their supervisor, and a poor boss is often the result of a lack of training. While we frequently reward the best employees by promoting them to management, it's done without exploring if the person has the aptitude to effectively manage and motivate others. Without giving them the training and tools they need to succeed, a boss will likely make many mistakes. At your expense.

I cringe at some of the mistakes I made as a new manager, but over the years I've learned a lot about what to do as a boss. Praise people publicly and coach them privately. Give constructive criticism that helps employees move forward, not negative feedback that demoralizes them. Do what's possible to remove obstacles from employees' paths so they can do their jobs better. Most importantly, listen to their problems, make them part of the solution and follow up. Bad behavior will drive away your best and brightest. Make it your goal to be the reason people stay.

To share your Worst or Best Boss story, email tellusyourbadbossstory@gmail.com. We'll offer a $20 gift certificate for the best story each month. No identifiers will be used.