Flowchart: Are You Working for a Toxic Boss?
The experience of less-than-ideal work situations are common, and the global pandemic has likely heightened challenges for bosses and employees alike. How can mediocre or outright hostile leadership impact your ability to work well?
This flowchart from Resume.io helps you figure out if you’ve got a toxic boss weighing you down. It covers seven archetypes of toxic bosses, and how to respond to each one.
The 7 Types of Toxic Bosses
Barbara Kellerman, a professor of public leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School identifies seven types of toxic bosses that can exist.
| Number | Toxic Boss Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Incompetent Boss | Unable or unwilling to do their job well |
| #2 | Rigid Boss | Confuses inflexibility with strength |
| #3 | Intemperate Boss | Lacks self-knowledge and self-control |
| #4 | Callous Boss | Lacks empathy and kindness |
| #5 | Corrupt Boss | Steals or cheats to promote their own interests |
| #6 | Insular Boss | Is cliquish or unreachable |
| #7 | Evil Boss | Causes pain to further their sense of power and dominance |
Some bosses simply don’t have the capacity to do their jobs, which makes it more difficult for their employees. Others can be corrupt or callous, creating a highly unmotivating work environment.
But how many people are in this situation?
To give a few quick examples, around 13% of all employees in Europe work under a toxic boss. In the U.S., a whopping 75% say they have left a job primarily because of a bad boss.