Absentee leaders are leaders who are physically present but don’t offer any actual guidance to their teamsThey make sure that teams work well with each other, oversee the completion of difficult tasks, and solve any problems that their teams may encounter. They will discipline any employees who do not follow a high standard of working and will point out and correct any mistakes they see – or at least this is what they are supposed to do.
Some managers seem to have the job title but sadly do not appear to have the skills necessary to effectively do their job. When this happens, they often make excuses to validate their behaviour. It is important to be aware of the ways in which they justify their lack of action so that you can raise an issue or make a complaint.
“I don’t like employees who contradict me”
Some managers dislike employees who challenge their ideas, as they see this as an attack; in reality, discussion is normal between managers and employees. It is important to be aware that anyone in a company can have good ideas, even if their ideas do not always fall in line with the ideas of the manager.
A strong manager will listen to the ideas of others and will be willing to change their mind if the new idea is better; conversely, if their idea is better, they will be willing to explain why.
“I hate confrontation”
Lots of people dislike confrontation; however, it is the role of a manager to deal with confrontational situations. If they fear confrontation, they may not call out employees when they make errors; over time, this can make it appear that the manager is not making an effort at work.
In reality, a good manager puts the company’s best interests before their own personal work interests. This means they will occasionally have to deal with direct confrontation if they want to benefit the company.
“I want my team to see me as a friend”
Some managers want to be seen as a friend to their colleagues; however, this is difficult, as they are their boss. Once the manager perceives an employee as a friend, they will be hesitant to tell them if their work is poor and may favour their ‘friend’s’ ideas over the ideas of other employees. This can disrupt the business as the manager is supposed to be in charge of the employee – not the other way around!
Join Over 40,000 Recruiters. Get our latest articles weekly, all FREE – SEND ME ARTICLES
Recruiters love this COMPLETE set of Accredited Recruitment & HR Training – View Training Brochure
