10 types of managers to avoid

  As the old saying goes, you can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends. I’m not sure which category managers fall into. On one hand they are thrust upon you by the organisation, “ye shall report to thee” and you have no say in the matter. On the other hand the counter-argument is, just change jobs.

But whilst you’re pondering over whether a manager is like family or a friend, lets look at 10 types of managers we’d rather not work for.

10. Nothing’s good enough

You know the type, whatever you deliver is not good enough. It’s too soon, it’s too late, not enough words or not enough pie charts. Avoid him like the plague or sit in a purgatory of endless document revisions.

9. The reject

He’s the guy who seems normal enough until you try to go for a promotion. You realise he’s the guy who went for the job above him but got rejected and hence begrudgingly doing his role managing you, whereas he could have been so much higher up the food chain. Expect to listen to plenty of sob stories of how he was wronged and how his superiors are all corrupt as FIFA officials. He will wear you down and drain you of all enthusiasm and talent.

8. The professional amateur

Everyone has a hobby, whether it be a sport or some other form of entertainment. But the professional amateur is one whose hobby engulfs every aspect of their life. They’ll proudly display medals and trophy’s on their desk and will talk to anyone who cares to listen about their passion. In motivational talks, expect lots of references to putting in gumshields, wearing shinpads, baiting the fish, getting into the safe zone, going into extra time, getting in the slip stream etc etc.

7. The psychiatrist

Some managers take their role as people managers far too seriously. Almost believing themselves to be your psychiatrist, asking you to open up to them in annual reviews, worried about your feelings and passing on anecdotes of wisdom to help you through the pain. It’s enough to make any happy person feel like they’ve been suffering from depression for the last 7 years.

6. The poser

This applies equally to men as it does women. These are the types who think they can substitute knowledge by looking good. They’ll wake up 2 hours early to get ready. Their hair is never out of place and you will see them catching their own reflection in any shiny object they happen to pass. Working with such a manager will continually make you feel like you’re an overweight cow.

5. Managers who think they are better than you

There are those managers who once upon a time coded in visual basic and still think they know more than you about python. They were never meant to be managers and they itch to be back in the field. But it’s been so long since they’ve done anything useful that they’re totally deskilled. Their advice annoys, slows and infuriates. But they go on believing they know far more than you.

4. Paranoid Managers

The types who believe everyone is out for their job. They sleep with one eye open, sabotage the work of others and are constantly hanging around the water cooler to pick up gossip. They may seem friendly, but that’s only the front they put on. Proceed with extreme caution.

3. The immature manager

They may have physically grown up, but they’re still very much a child at heart. I don’t mean in a Peter Pan kind of way. I mean tantrum throwing, hissy fitting kinds of managers who believe that there’s no problem that can’t be solved by yelling, screaming or breaking down in tears.

2. The Flirt

This is for both men and women, they just operate in different directions. Women flirt ‘up’ the chain to impress their own seniors in the hope it will increase their bonus. While men flirt ‘down’ using their position of power to surround themselves with a team of young attractive females.

1. The cruel manager

Simply put, there are certain managers who are monsters hiding behind a thin veneer of charm and sanity.There is nothing in the world as ugly or as damaging as a cruel man.

For some reason, there are managers out there who take only joy in seeing someone in pain. People say that it’s a power thing, but I know it’s a sickness thing. It’s sick to be you if you are working for someone like them.