The Good News About Good Bosses

It is mighty easy to focus on how much better the world's bosses could be, and on the plight of all the unhappy workers out there who work for lousy ones.

And it's not necessarily a bad thing to focus on that. We know that in organizations, "bad apples" do spoil bunches, and bad experiences leave deeper impressions than good ones. This is why, in Good Boss, Bad Boss, I emphasize that the first order of business must be to get rid of or reform any supervisors who take a toll on employee well-being, dignity, commitment, and performance. Moreover, there is evidence that plenty of bosses are failing, in these tough times, to make work a joy. A survey early this year of a good representative sample of American workers found that only 45% of them were satisfied with their jobs. That marked a record low in the 22 years the Conference Board has been asking. (Contrast it with 49% in 2008 and 61% in 1987.) Only 51% of them were satisfied with their bosses (down from 55% in 2008 and 60% in 1987).

But other evidence paints a less gloomy picture. For example, a recent poll [pdf] by StrategyOne of over 500 American workers finds that over 80% of employees feel respected by their supervisors and believe their supervisors value their work. And I just heard from a Danish journalist about an ongoing effort by staffing firm Randstad to index satisfaction and other work-related attitudes and behavior across 26 countries. While Japan, according to it, has the lowest satisfaction, with only 41% of its workers calling themselves either very satisfied or satisfied with their employer, Denmark tops the charts at 83%. (Note that there is other research that shows the Danes are the happiest people in the world.) US workers, while not as satisfied as their near neighbors the Canadians (78%) still came in at 70%. Worldwide, some 68% of employees are satisfied with their employer. (I realize this does not necessarily mean they are satisfied with their bosses. The old saw that people leave bosses, not companies, is supported by a lot of research.)

Even when it comes to one of my favorite sins to preach against — the presence of jerks in management ranks (it's why I've unfortunately been referred to as "the asshole guy"), evidence offers a bright side. The excellent 2010 Zogby/Workplace Bullying Institute study showed that although 34.5% of respondents had experienced workplace bullying at some point in their career, fewer than 9% were currently experiencing it — a drop from the nearly 13% who reported being bullied in 2007. Bosses were meting out much of that abuse but not all of it. Most interesting to me is that half the sample (50%) reported they had never been bullied or even seen others bullied in their workplaces.

Clearly, in light of all this research, you can see the glass as half full or half empty. But I have done much of my writing in the half-empty mode, critiquing bad bosses. In fact, I am even now drawing up my list of the "Top 11 Clueless, Comedic, and Cruel Bosses" based on the striking and sometimes disgusting examples that readers have provided here.

I think it is important to focus on the good as well. As we've seen, even the most pessimistic evidence suggests that most bosses are managing to do a decent job. And some go much further than that.

So let's take a moment to thank all the great bosses of the world. I would start with one of my own, Jim Plummer, the Dean of the Stanford School of Engineering. (If you want to know why I am so devoted to Jim, see Chapter 3 of Good Boss, Bad Boss.) Other bosses I've seen in action and singled out for praise have included Bonny Simi of JetBlue, David Kelley of IDEO, AG Lafley of P&G, Joel Podolny (now at Apple, but he was a great Associate Dean), Brad Bird of Pixar, Lenny Mendonca of McKinsey, and Whitney Mortimer of IDEO.

Who are your favorites? In the spirit of this "glass half full" post, let's use the comments section here to compile a serious counterweight to all the coverage of clueless and crappy managers. Reflect for a minute on the best boss you've ever had, and then I would love to hear the story.

P.S. This post first appeared last week at HBR.org under the title "The Not-So-Bad News About Bosses." I also want to give a big thank you to HBR's Julia Kirby for her splendid editing.  

Comments

[BryanB]

My favorite boss (so far) was one I had many years ago, when I was first getting my feet wet in the field. She demonstrated many qualities you write about: selfless, devoted to her subordinates, generously shared credit, rarely angered, and promoted innovation.

Three years ago my family moved from another state, back to where we started. Not surprisingly, I requested (and obtained) a position working at the same organization. Under the same boss I had 10 years ago. She now regularly tells me she would gladly work for me.

[Nicole]

My favorite boss was from one of my first jobs, as a summer temp at JD Power. I was shy and, as an art major, convinced I had nothing to offer in a business setting. My boss correctly interpreted my tendency toward sarcasm as intelligence overrun by insecurity, and made it clear he valued the insights I had on the job.

At the end of my time as a temp, he took me out to lunch and wished me well when I went back to college. My experience there made the prospect of working for a living seem much less terrifying.

[Bob Sutton]

Colby,

thanks for providing such a great example. Indeed, more evidence that one of the best tests of a leader is what he or she does when people make a mistake.

[Colby]

Bob:
My experience is from law enforcement where I had a great boss which I respect a great deal. I have many examples of his great leadership, but in one particular example that really impressed me was when I was found to have violated policy. I was clearly at fault and was to be officially reprimanded. He was able to sense that I felt terrible about the incident and rather than lecturing me on my error, simply explained his position and reaffirmed his confidence in me. I left his office with more respect for him and the organization. I will always remember the way I was treated that day.

[Lynette]

My favorite "good boss" is Laura K. I started my marketing career quite green at a PR firm. I didn't know anything. I could write well, but I didn't know how to write for business. She patiently and consistently taught me everything in a very informal mentor kind of way. I'll always be grateful to her for that.

[David Cohen]

Bob - I've found "Good Boss, Bad Boss" to be quite applicable to thinking about schools and school districts. I've been fortunate in my career to deal with good bosses, but can see plenty of uesful tips for all. Will be blogging about it more soon!