Bad Bosses

The Australia Rush has opened our eyes to many things about us and one of them is on bad or toxic bosses.

The rush is happening primarily due to economic reasons and for better opportunities, but there are also those who need neither of the above but are still leaving to escape toxic work environments and bad bosses that run these workplaces.

Now, bad bosses and toxic work places is an international phenomenon, but Bhutan is just discovering the harmful role it can play in employee retention and motivation. We are still a long way off from recognizing the damage it can cause.

It is a known fact that in the strongly hierarchical and traditional society of Bhutan a significant number of people who rise up the ladder are not necessarily the best.

There is a subset whose only real skills seems to be Chadri and making the bosses happy and they rise fast and usually have the least work.

There are also those who are terrible with their subordinates but extremely good at smooching the bottoms above them and they rise up fast too. 

There are then a poisonous group with no real skills or work, but whose only job is to scheme and trip others and ingratiate themselves with bosses to rise up.

Not be left behind are the populists or people pleasers who go out of their way to say yes to everything and everyone even if it is not good for the organization as long as it adds to their appeal and rise.

There are also those who excel at doing the dirty job of the bosses from covering up scams to other transgressions of the boss and this group not only rises fast but are also untouchable.

Above this toxic Bhutanese rabble sits the toxic or bad boss. The toxic Bhutanese boss is an insecure person who is rude and unkind, will not listen or learn from mistakes, lacks trust and micromanages, demotivates staff, does not let growth and new ideas happen, has different faces for different people, goes by personal likes and dislikes, makes everyone feel insecure and demands too much.

The entire toxic work environment flows from a bad boss and the entire organization suffers.

If Bhutan is to move forward we need to do much better in terms of managing people. A start could be made by not only looking at financial transgressions but also bad management in every organization.

“Rotten bosses don’t get better. Any strategy that assumes they can is doomed.” — Scott Adams