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5 Innocent Ways Bosses Destroy Their Credibility
“God, Stanley. That’s freaking brilliant. Did you learn that on the streets? I’m sorry.”
“Ugh, give it to me, I’ll just do it!” he huffed at the new hire.
I could see her spirit deflate as he reached over her sinking shoulders and grabbed the papers. He filled out the proper information quickly. She was new at the company and still learning. He had been there a while and knew it all.
Taking the task from her to get it done more quickly may have been innocent to him as he thought he was just getting things done more efficiently in a fast-paced environment.
But in reality, it did three things that were much more costly to his credibility than the benefit of any time he had saved. First, he squashed the enthusiasm of the new employee. Second, he showed he had a lack of patience and a tendency to micromanage. Third, everyone watching knew his complete lack of awareness of how this action would be perceived was a sign of a severe empathy deficit.
He was just following the common adage “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” That’s true in many situations, but that attitude can be extremely damaging in a leadership role.
