Managers come in all shapes and sizes—and unfortunately, some exhibiting behavior that can be toxic to the workplace. All this kind of behavior does is deflate your team members and hinder productivity. Why are such managers allowed to stay in their roles? Often, it's because the company just doesn't know how to deal with or isn't prepared to handle the challenges of an ineffective manager. Below are a few examples of behavior that is simply not managerial.
Demeaning employees
Putting people down whether in private or even worse publicly is not going to move anyone toward any sort of productive result. All this does is hurt people's feelings and consequently, make them not want to be at their best for you. You should always strive to be helpful and offer insights that are encouraging and constructive.
Not allowing questions
Employees often need direction, and there are times when they simply aren't sure what to do. It's usually not that they're being lazy, rather they genuinely want guidance as to which path they should take on a given task. You want to foster an environment that always invites such questions.
Not making time to meet with employees and offer feedback
By the same token, you want to leave the door open so that you do get a chance for those critical one-on-one's and this way, give your employees the feedback they need to clarify any issues and better understand how they are performing. In many ways, a manager is, in fact, a mentor, and that is precisely how they should act.
Blaming employees for under-performance
Many managers are quick to pass the blame when the team isn't performing as expected. They fail to look in the mirror and realize that a huge part of the problem might be them. You have to take responsibility as a manager for the performance or lack thereof of your employees. Blaming everyone else will merely cause morale to crumble.
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