Lack of Accountability
Great managers lead by example in owning up a situation and focus everyone on constructive ways forward. They "stop the buck" and change the discussion from fault to solution. But some managers see every problem as caused by their teams, and regardless of what happens - they will always find a way to frame things so that failure is never their problem. Those who never see how their own behaviour contributed to a situation will make their teams risk-averse and reduce the desire to be innovative. A boss taking credit for wins and exposing their subordinates for failures will eventually find themselves surrounded only by people who can't find better alternatives.
Intransparency
One of the core challenges of management is to filter information: Teams need to focus on doing their work, they don't have time to sit in meetings or read emails all day. Good managers do what they can to minimize the mental load of their teams while still letting them know what's going on. However, many managers do it wrong - they keep team members in the dark about important decisions and information that will affect their ability to succeed. Such a lack of transparency leads to uncertainty and speculation, and ultimately, failure. And teams who are content with not understanding how to make a difference - won't.
Poor communication
Good managers always provide clear expectations, updates, and feedback to their teams. Lack of clarity regarding any of these, "doing the best we can" may not equal "doing what we should be doing," which in turn leads to poor outcomes - and frustration on both ends. While it's arguable whether it's worse to provide vague, or potentially even mutually conflicting, information to the teams or no information at all, managers are always multiplicators of performance - and with bad communication, they can singlehandedly devastate an entire organization!
Unrealistic Expectations
It's great to let people know that you trust them to achieve great things. But a manager who sets the bar too high without providing the necessary support and resources pushes their own people over the cliff. Simply expecting the impossible sets up teams to fail. Repeatedly doing this can lead team members to burnout and drives them to the job portals.
Siding Against the Team
When complaints come in, whether from customers or other departments, a good manager would always first try to learn what has happened, and listen to both sides of the story. Even when the going gets tough, they would be their teams' heat shield, ensuring people can constructively focus on improving the situation. Bad managers choose to take sides against their team, even before understanding what has happened. When the very person who is supposed to lead the team to success is constantly sending the signal that the team is not good enough, people will first choose to collect CYA evidence, and eventually seek someone else to work for. Team cohesion and the organization's ability to deliver erode.
Favoritism
Good managers look at the value of outcomes. Great results should be attributed to everyone who contributed, and ideas should be evaluated based on their merit. Great managers count on the Pygmalion Effect - letting their people know they can do great things will drive them to exellence! Favoritism can tear a team apart. When a manager shows a visible preference for some individuals, this breeds resentment and jealousy. Those who aren’t the favorites feel sidelined and unappreciated, can quickly lead to a Golem effect - marginalizing people will make them underperformers!
Micromanagement
Great teams are in control of their work. With an understanding of what's expected, they will find out how to solve problems, and deliver outstanding results. Bad managers, however, often fail to articulate what they expect and are unable to connect operational challenges with their (unspoken) expectations. Instead, they check into the small details and turn molehills into mountains. They want to know who is doing what when instead of asking how things are going. This kills creativity and morale. Especially those employees who know full well what needs to be done will find themselves so appalled by the constant checks and controls that they'll prefer to put their remaining energy into finding their next career move.
Ignoring Feedback
Feedback is a gift for those who know how to appreciate it. It's sometimes just a small thing that enable a manager to help their teams do much better. Great managers are not only actively asking for feedback - they're picking up cues and hunches and turn them into action. Terrible managers ignore feedback even when it is actively provided - the worst kind even finding ways to dismiss the outcomes of explicitly institutionalized feedback processes. In doing so, they implicitly tell their teams that nothing will change and that getting a better working environment is easier achieved by job hopping than by talking. Those whom such a manager is left with will eventually have learned not to care when things go wrong.
Unsupportiveness
Great managers aren't great by their own ability - they're great because they have great teams behind them, composed of great people doing great things. But greatness isn't something static. It evolves over time, and is always measured relative to the challenges. Hence, great managers continuously invest into the professional growth of their teams. They actively provide opportunities for training and career advancement to give their teams the necessary edge. Poor managers use the talent they have, and squeeze their people dry like a lemon. When people are falling behind, they get discarded like useless chaff. Individuals who have seen this pattern before will have learned to jump ship while there's time.
Lack of Appreciation
Recognition serves as a catalyst for growth - so great managers will take the opportunity to give credit where it's due, and celebrate noteworthy successes. Without acknowledgement of a job well done, our psyche will eventually come to believe that "it doesn't matter." The worst of managers not only fail to appreciate the hard work and great outcomes of their teams - they will always look for the fly in the ointment and jump upon every inadequacy. Like that, they can drive even the most talented individuals into despair and burnout - or to a competitor.
Closing remarks
We all make mistakes. And managers are as human as anyone else. The occasional glitch is normal, and we shouldn't think too much or too hard about it.
But when any of the points above are a habitual pattern of an individual, or worse: a cultural pattern of the organization - we should have a serious conversation: Does the company want to get the best possible performance from their teams, or are they willing to pay the dividend of poor performance in order to keep counterproductive management behaviours?
Oftentimes, it's ignorance, and then we can work on it. Smart businesses will address the issue and increase their ability to persist on the market. But not all businesses are smart.
If that's the case - draw your own conclusions.
