Ever wonder what’s on the mind of your disengaged/uninterested/apathetic/unmotivated boss? If he or she actually spoke to you, this is what they will say:
1. I can’t train you because I don’t know how. I was never coached on how to coach, so no one I supervise is ever properly trained or developed.
2. I can’t stand behind your work or advocate for you…because I don’t know your capabilities. And I don’t care to find out! So obviously you’ll never be promoted.
3. My boss doesn’t think highly of me, so he probably won’t think highly of anyone on my team. So your growth opportunities on my team will likely be stunted.
4. I’m too disengaged to even bother looking for another job. So I’ll stay here for as long as I’m allowed…stagnant, uninspired and uninspiring. So you are unlikely to learn, develop, grow or be recognized for your performance if you stay here. You too will stagnate.
5. Our meetings run over because I don’t prepare for them. The only thing worse than an unnecessary meeting is an unprepared meeting. Ever been to a meeting where half of the time is spent clarifying the agenda? Poorly managed meetings are unproductive meetings.
6. I pretend your ideas/concepts are actually mine. First I’ll reject your idea when you present it, then I’ll let a couple months go by and present it to my boss/team as my own!
7. Everything I ask you to do is “urgent and important” because of my inaction. The urgent task that “just came up” and is due tomorrow morning has been sitting in their inbox for over a week. It is only urgent because I did nothing with it for 6 days and now we have to meet tomorrow’s deadline!
What is your future going to look like if you work for this person? Maybe it’s time to move on…