What is your BOSS TYPE?

Most of us have had at least one, if not many bosses in our working lives. This list is intended as a guide to identifying what type of Boss you have and ways to help you  interact with your boss as well as other Staff members and Clients who have to deal with the same persona. Sometimes just the knowledge that it is not you who is crazy, and that it is in fact your boss who has this extraordinary management style is a cure within itself, and will help you to understand why your boss does the things they do.

As we all know, there are several different types of Leaders and Management styles. Some Leaders have no problem with working with and Respecting their Staff, while others seem to have completely forgotten that their job relies on a team environment.

To explore the general areas of these traits, we have broken Bosses into 4 different types. Not all types and their individual traits are necessarily good and not are all bad, however, all are different and react to situations and team environments in their own unique ways. The Boss Type is also a great explanation as to why an employee can be completely happy with one Leader in the Company and will clash heads with another.

The Crazy Maker

The Crazy Maker Boss can generally be described as messy, rude and selfish. The Crazy Maker is always busy, like a whirlwind and they will always be late for something or have some kind of emergency or drama they must attend to. They will have Papers all over their desk, be constantly complaining about how much work they have to do and how busy they are, however if you put them under a microscope, you would see that they actually achieve very little. The one thing the Crazy Maker does achieve, however, is to cause havoc and destruction within a Team environment.

Crazymakers usually do not have their acts together; they believe the confusion they create will show others in a negative light, which will in turn make themselves look good. The crazymaker usually makes a grand entrance into the office setting. Some are so bold as to announce their arrival–”I m here!” Crazymakers begin much and finish little, so do not be surprised when you are caught having to finish their work. When something goes unexpectedly, the crazymaker is the first to start shouting out blame. Seldom will they accept responsibility for having made the mess in the first place.

Do not be fooled into thinking the crazymaker means you well. Their own brand of behavior is there to keep you off guard or make you less productive, to create tension in relationships, or to get you to do their work for them.

They will always bring their personal issues to work, complain about them, be upset and let their life outside of work affect their performance and their judgement. Their woes and troubles in their life always outweigh everyone else’s. The Crazy Maker thrives on Drama and Melodrama. If you are drawn into this scenario with them, nothing you can say will be comforting or helpful, as they always have a reason why your suggestions would not work or help with their situation – their situation is always so much more worse than anyone’s has ever been before.

This type of boss has no systems or organised way of getting the job done, however they will also be the first to point out that you have not done the job correctly or that you’ve done something wrong.

Do not be silly enough to play the “tit for tat” game with crazymakers. They have more experience than you because it is a way of life for them. Acknowledge their presence and let them know that you have your own agenda and that they are not part of it. Remember it takes at least three to tango with a crazymaker; and if no one is watching, it is not worth their effort. Be strong, do not play their game.

Go about your day to day work and avoid all conflict and attempt at being drawn into any drama with your Crazy Maker Boss at all costs – especially your sanity.

The Control Freak

The Motto of the Control Freak boss is, “The only way is the RIGHT way, and the right way is MY way”. This type of Boss tries to do everything themselves. They cannot stand the thought of letting others do important work for them, because it might be done ‘wrong’, or worse, not as good as how they would have done it. The Control Freak is so obsessed with making sure everything is done their way all the time that many  are classed as work-a-holics.

The Control Freak boss is unfortunately a walking contradiction. They want to see others step up and take control, but in reality they have an overriding desire to do it themselves so that they know that things got done properly. Control Freak Bosses are classic Perfectionists, and are very critical. They believe that every negative aspect of your work that they see, would have also been detected by the client, which is why you must change it now.

Beware of trying to please your Control Freak Boss. If you seek their approval, be prepared that you will get 10% approval followed by 90% ‘here’s how you could have made it better’. When dealing with your Control Freak Boss, you must learn to not take their criticisms personally – as difficult as this may be. You must keep in mind that their constant desire to take full control of every situation is really coming from a deep sense of  uncertainty about themselves as well as low self-esteem. There are areas within the Control Freak Boss’s life that are perhaps not what they desire, which is why they feel they must gain their power and energy from controlling all situations at work.

The best way to work alongside your Control Freak Boss is to keep clear in your own mind that they are most likely always going to want to help, take-over or improve something. If you show them respect by asking for their input and taking their suggestions as in the best interest of the Company or Client, then you will be on the same page as your Control Freak Boss and working with them will that much easier.

The Lazy Leader

The Lazy Leader is always too busy to help with the ’small jobs’ that need to be done and keep everything running smoothly. Their motto is ‘You do the work and I Lead’. The Lazy Leader boss is the ‘Do as I say don’t do as I do’ type. If you’re in retail, you will find the Lazy Leader sitting at their desk doing ‘very important’ paperwork when it is busy in the shop and you need their help. In the Corporate Game, the Lazy Leader believes that they are ‘higher ranked’ than you for a reason, and with that special ranking comes the perks of doing what they want.

The Lazy Leader does not keep their promises. If a client calls wanting to deal directly with the Lazy Leader and sort out a complaint, and the Lazy Leader tells you they will call them back, they won’t. They will hide behind their staff to make themselves ‘look better’ to Customers, Clients and Higher Management. This type of Boss will avoid confrontation at all costs – even to the point of lying.

If an issue arises, don’t count on the Lazy Leader to help you out. They are out to make everything the best for themselves, and no-one else. The Lazy Leader Boss truly believes that they are a ‘Leader’, which in turn means that they are on top and the rest of you are the ‘little people ‘who do the work. They love to spend hours delegating jobs and chores and will draw out simple tasks that they must get done, just so it looks like they are very busy and so that they don’t have the time to do any more than they have to.

The Lazy Leader will expect you to work your arse off, while they go home early or can’t come in because of important things they have to do ‘out of the office’. When you do work extra hours or perform over and above your usual workload for the Lazy Leader, don’t expect any praise or recognition. They will see this as ‘arse-kissing’ and will assume you’re trying to take their job – or worse, they will simply take credit for your work, especially if they have superiors themselves.

This Boss will expect you to respect them and will ask you for favours often – but will have an amazing way of making you feel as though you owe them something. When you decide to ask them to return the favour, they cannot – they are too busy or are just not able to do what you’ve asked. The Lazy Leader will expect you to cover for them if they are caught out by Customers or Upper-Management for their sub-par Management or lack of work. If you don’t, they will assume you are disloyal and will proceed to make your life hell, cutting or increasing your hours, starting rumours behind your back and turning other staff members against you.

The Lazy Leader is a master at calling extremely important meetings or training sessions, but is then too busy to attend it themselves. Don’t get sucked into the Lazy Leaders game. Follow their lead and work for you and for your team. Do not let the Lazy Leader walk all over you. Cover your arse and yours alone. The rest will take care of itself – they can only get by doing the bare minimum for so long before someone will notice.

The Do as I Do Boss

This type of Boss is not afraid to get their hands dirty. They understand that Success is something that must be worked at and that it does not come without giving your all. The Do as I do Boss is never above helping out their staff to get the job done. They are a team player and will always show respect to their employees and customers. They are friendly and kind, however they are also very serious about good work and are not afraid to work hard at something they believe in. They expect their staff to give their all and will do the same in return.

Customers love the Do as I do Boss and this Boss loves their Customers. This Boss type never forgets where the money within the Business or Company comes from (The Customers) and how the majority of the work gets done (The Team of Staff).

The Do as I do Boss can also perhaps be too nice at times. If they’re not careful, greedy employees will take from them and nasty customers will try to swindle them, however the Do as I do Boss also has much experience which they bring to the table with class and without forcing their ideas or business education upon anyone.

The Do as I do Boss is the type of Boss that will throw a fantastic Christmas Party at the end of the year, as well as give everyone gifts. They will happily go and have a drink with you on a Friday night and will not spend the whole time talking about work or work related issues.

This Boss, wants their employees and staff to succeed and will willingly help them to do so. If an employee feels the need to move on, the Do as I do Boss will understand and they know that not everyone will always stay on the same path and that sometimes you must move on to learn and grow.

The Do as I Do Boss can also have the problem of doing too much. They are nowhere near the class of the Control Freak, however they may at times be helping out their team when they should be doing other more menial Management Tasks that need their attention. The Do as I Do Boss is a great teacher and makes a fantastic Mentor. They will happily help you to learn and grow within your position and genuinely want you to succeed within your career.

Working with your Boss Type

Some Bosses perhaps will not entirely fit these descriptions. Some may show traits of one Boss Type during stressful times and be completely different in your general day to day work. In identifying some of the more extreme cases of Boss Types, it can perhaps make your working with them easier to pinpoint why Managers, Leaders and Bosses do the things they do. In some cases, it is the way they were taught from their previous Leader/Boss and in other cases it is simply the type of person they are which will govern what type of Management style they have adopted.

In any case, once you have identified and connected with your boss type, you can perhaps predict some of their more frequent Management Patterns and re-adjust your reaction ahead of time to avoid disappointment and unnecessary frustrations within your working environment.