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How do You Spot a Difficult Manager vs a Toxic Manager – 18 signs to look for · Enhance.training

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: We would all like to work for a nice manager that is easy to get on with and has our career success at heart.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, the sad fact is that the majority of us don't have a great boss.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: 79% of people who quit their jobs cite lack of appreciation as their key reason.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: And 58% of people say they trust strangers more than their boss.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Ouch.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: So how do you spot a difficult manager?
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: And even more importantly, how do you spot a toxic manager before you have to start working with them?
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: I take you through 10 signs to look out for so you can spot a difficult manager and 8 signs that help you spot a toxic manager.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Jess Coles and I've had a 25-year management career in corporates and household names all the way through to SMEs.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: And unfortunately, like many of you, I've had to deal with several difficult bosses and one or two toxic managers.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I have personal experience of both.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: If you're new to this podcast, Enhance.training shares business and people management expertise to help you improve your performance and that of your team and business.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: There is a big difference between working for a difficult manager and a toxic manager.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: A difficult manager may teach you a lot, move your career forward significantly, and be very useful to work with, even if they're not easy to work with.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: A toxic manager will not have your interests at heart nor show interest in moving your career forward.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: There is also evidence that working for a toxic manager, apart from being demoralizing, can also be bad for your physical health, through the stress and extra pressure that often goes working with toxic managers.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Towards the end of the podcast, I go through what you can do if you are in this situation.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: So let's start with the classic signs to look out for so you know how to spot a difficult manager.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: These signs are particularly useful if you have the option to move into different teams within a business, a manager is transferring to manage the team that you're in, or if you are managing a number of people managers and are looking at their performance.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: And this list is not exhaustive, and difficult managers may display one or many of these signs.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: A very demanding manager is the first sign when thinking how do you spot a difficult manager?
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: Demanding managers set themselves and their team members high standards and goals to achieve and expect these to be achieved.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: You are likely to have to work hard and to a high standard to get on demanding manager's good side.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: An overly direct, blunt, or even intimidating boss is the second sign in how to spot a difficult boss.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: When working with this type of manager, you will know where you stand, which can be a good thing.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: If you are sensitive, struggle with to the point feedback, or are not above average in terms of performance, then working for this manager will be more difficult for you.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: A very critical manager is the third sign in how do you spot a difficult manager.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: These are the managers that criticize a lot more than they praise, or they may not praise at all.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: They criticise to help you improve your weaker areas rather than to put you down.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: You need a lot of resilience to work with this type of difficult manager.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: A manager that works you hard is the fourth sign of a difficult manager.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: These managers expect you to stay after hours and finish your tasks or projects, or promote a long hours culture within the team, possibly by working long hours themselves.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: If you work for this type of difficult manager, try to make sure you get rewarded for all the extra effort through bonuses and early promotions, etc.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Micromanagement is the fifth sign in how do you spot a difficult manager.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Very few people like being micromanaged, even if they might benefit from lots of support.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Work to prove to this manager that you can deliver without closer supervision and give them lots of updates.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Impatience is the sixth sign of how to spot a difficult manager.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: Impatient managers want everything yesterday, even if there's no practical way to achieve this.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: This can mean a lot more pressure on you if you try to work to their impatience.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Little support or withheld resources is the seventh sign in how do you spot a difficult boss.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: There can be lots of reasons for limited help or resources.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, your manager may be under a lot of pressure themselves and can't fit you in.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Or they may have a very hands-off approach, only helping when you directly ask for help.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Don't be passive in this situation.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: A sink or swim approach is the eighth sign in how to spot a difficult manager.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: The difficult manager may make little effort to help you until you've proved that you are worth helping.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: Or they might load you up with work until you break or shout loudly.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: And the line between a toxic manager and a difficult manager in these situations can be quite thin.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: An unorganized manager is the ninth sign in how do you spot a difficult manager.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: A key part of effectively managing others is organization, you know, of tasks, events, resources, timings, etc.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: If the manager is unorganized, this puts a lot more strain on the team members trying to get their projects and activities completed.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: This situation does present an opportunity for an organized right-hand person for that manager.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: Poor or no people and social skills is the tenth sign in how do you spot a difficult manager.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: People skills are core skills of man of a manager, yet many are promoted into management without these skills being strong.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: Poor people's skills in the manager can create resentment and difficulties with other teams and departments, which in turn can impact team members.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: Working for a difficult manager is not necessarily a bad thing and can significantly improve your career prospects as a result of all the skills that you gain having to deal with them effectively.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Make the most of the opportunity and learn as much as you possible.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: A toxic manager is quite different from a difficult manager.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to zoom through eight signs to look out for when thinking how do you spot a toxic manager?
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Again, these are not exhaustive.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Most truly toxic managers will display several or more of these signs.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: Then I'm going to talk about the options you have in dealing with a toxic manager.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: So let's dive in.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Actively trying to discredit you or take credit for your work is the first sign in spotting a toxic boss.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Both can easily happen if you do good work, and this threatens the manager or they see your work as a way of promoting themselves.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Managers who play favourites within the team is the second sign in how do you spot a toxic manager.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: This can be undeserved promotions, bonuses, allocation of work, double standards, only paying attention to certain people, etc.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: Bosses that give negative feedback to put you down is the third sign in spotting a toxic manager.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: This is a classic sign over the manager feeling threatened by you, and it can be tough to deal with on a personal level.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Managers that create conflict within the team is the fourth sign in how do you spot a toxic manager.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: Signs might include obvious anger, dysfunctional meetings, anxiety in team members, no trust within the team, inappropriate communications, etc.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: Managers that lack integrity are the fifth sign of a toxic boss.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: This could be one rule for you and another for them, it could be dishonesty or inconsistent behaviour or decisions or putting themselves ahead to the detriment of others.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Bosses that instill a culture of fear within the team is the sixth sign when considering how do you spot a toxic manager.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: Classic signs are fear of speaking up, it's the manager's way or the highway, serious job insecurity, employee ideas are absent, or employees disappear without warning, and the best employees don't get promoted.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: Managers that display no empathy for team members is the seventh sign of a toxic manager.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: The manager may treat you like a robot or place lots of focus on the numbers, you know, delivering what is needed, but they don't really care about how it is delivered or the personal cost on team members.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: The eighth sign of a toxic manager is the manager using any help you ask for as a sign of your weakness.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: This behaviour effectively stops you asking for help or support, which can make it very hard to deliver and certainly increases the pressure on you and a sense of isolation.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: Once you spot the signs you are working for a toxic boss, what to do about your situation is the next challenge.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: Because your manager has a lot of influence over the work and projects you're involved with, your bonus, your promotion, and your career progression, it is important that you don't just put up with toxic behaviour and treatment.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: If you do nothing, so many things can easily suffer.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: Your career, your happiness, your self-esteem, your health.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: The first question, and it is an important question, is to decide if you're willing to put yourself into a potential conflict at work.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: If you are willing to, you know, i.e.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: challenge your boss or speak to HR or speak to senior management or take similar types of steps, then the first thing I recommend you do is to start collecting evidence of the toxic behaviour immediately.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: The next steps to take are secondly, find allies, thirdly, confront your manager, fourth, speak to HR, and fifth, escalate to senior management.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: Take a look at our podcast on how to deal with colleagues undermining you for more details on each of these steps that you should take to put yourself in the best position to be successful with this course of action.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: The other main option is to start looking for another job, in a different team or a different company.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: This will ensure that you will no longer be working with the toxic manager.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: Despite the effort of finding a new job, you will be a lot better off than staying put.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: If you do choose to challenge your toxic manager's behaviour, I recommend that you start looking for another job, as one of the outcomes of challenging a toxic manager can be that you're moved out of the company, even though this is unfair.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's a good backup step to take.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: So, in summary, working for a difficult manager can present lots of good opportunities to learn new skills, and it can be very rewarding if you're able to turn a difficult manager into a strong supporter of you and your career.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: Working for a toxic manager is no fun and generally poor for your career.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: Do not let the status quo continue.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: Depending on the situation and the company, challenging the toxic behaviour can result in the behaviour changing, it can result in the manager being asked to leave, or it might even mean that you're asked to leave.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: Be prepared for all outcomes.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: The safer but not necessarily better route is to move jobs and work for a different manager.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: Good luck with your difficult or toxic manager.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: If you like this podcast, please share it with friends and colleagues, and do visit us at enhance.training and take a look at the courses and resources to make you more successful at work.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks very much for listening, and I look forward to speaking to you again soon.