Surrounded By Bad Bosses and Lazy Employees: Interview with Thomas Erikson

 

Work would be a breeze…if not for all the bad bosses and lazy employees out there. Right?

 

But in all seriousness, with so many hundreds (millions?) of books out there on leadership and performance, how is it possible that so many bad bosses and lazy employees continue to exist?

 

I had the opportunity to pose this very question to behavioral expert and bestselling author Thomas Erikson as we discussed his latest book Surrounded By Bad Bosses (and Lazy Employees); How to Stop Struggling, Start Succeeding, and Deal With Idiots at Work.

 

For more than 15 years, Erikson has been traveling all over Europe, delivering lectures and seminars to executives and managers at a wide range of companies including IKEA, Coca Cola, Microsoft, Volvo and more.  

 

Listen to the full conversation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or just click the audio player above.

With so many books out there on leadership, how are there still so many bad bosses out there?

Erikson listed a number of reasons which made perfect sense. A couple that stood out for me were:

1. Bosses aren’t mind-readers

Erikson described various conversations in which people come to him frustrated by a boss’s behavior or a style of leadership that just feels scratchy.  

 

“Some people come to me and say, ‘my boss is so bad and he doesn't know what I want.’ And then I ask, ‘have you told him or her? No. Okay, there you go.’ 

 

It may sound oversimplified, but the truth is that too many people just assume bosses should know what we want and how we want to be communicated to or managed or recognized. But bosses aren’t superhuman. They aren’t mind readers. So one strategy for improving your experience with your boss? Simply tell them what you’re looking for.

2. Leadership isn’t intuitive

Many people seem to believe that “leadership should be intuitive… [but] just, that's just wrong. That's a myth. Some people have good natural skills when it comes to communication, [and] leadership is basically a communication process.”  But even with skills and capabilities, the act of leadership still needs to be learned over time and with practice.

Speaking of practice… what skills should we practice if we want to be better leaders?

There are many for sure. But here are some of the most critical, according to Erikson:

 

• Practice listening – hearing...

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