9 Things a Boss Shouldn’t Say

If they want to keep their team gruntled

Credit: Koldunova Anna on Shutterstock

Yes, gruntled is a word. Does that make sense?

No, boss, it doesn’t make sense. We can’t understand such high-level thinking. Can you break it down for us rubes so we can follow?

“Does that make sense?” isn’t that bad of a thing to say, but it can be a little cringe-worthy depending on how you say it.

Some people hear “I’ve tried to dumb this down enough for you — have I done so?” You probably didn’t mean it like that but a better thing to say would simply be “does anyone have any questions?”

A boss shouldn’t need to be overly sensitive or walking on eggshells around their people of course. And we know some people need thicker skin.

But some things bosses say could simply be said in a better way.

As someone who has been in military, corporate, and volunteer leadership positions for 25 years, I have seen how saying certain things in certain ways can help or harm your efforts.

Here are a few of them. As well as ways to say them better.

1. “Sure, take the day off, but keep your phone close.”