When I left that job, I vowed that I would remember what it was like having her as supervisor. When the day came for me to become the boss, I’d make sure I never made an employee feel the way she made me feel. I did eventually become a supervisor, and I’ve come to realize that I’ve learned something from almost every boss I’ve had. Some of the great bosses have become mentors. It has been 15 years since the last time I saw my worst boss, but I still carry the lessons of my time with her with me. She taught me that fear is not the same as leadership and that, ultimately, no amount of hard work on my end would make her a better person. There are few experiences more universal than having a crappy boss, so I was curious to hear what lessons other women have learned from their worst bosses. Click on for the totally candid truth about what we can all learn from the bosses we’d never want to be like. “I learned that a good boss has boundaries and that you’ve got to let people be off the clock sometimes.” — Maggie C., Seattle, Washington More from CafeMom: 11 Women Open Up About the Best Bosses They’ve Had & Why They Rocked “The thing I learned is that you can’t fix crazy. She was never going to be a good boss, no matter what we did or how hard we worked.” — Hollie J., Des Moines, Iowa “It was maddening to feel like I was being held accountable and my coworker wasn’t. We used to speculate that screw-up girl must have had naked pictures of the boss or something. “Lesson learned: Good bosses don’t play favorites. It is fine if you vibe with some people more than you do others, but everyone should be held to the same basic standards, right?” — Mary F., Oakdale, Minnesota More from CafeMom: 13 Maternity Leave Horror Stories From Working Moms “This boss acted like success and recognition was a zero-sum game, so [if] I got positive attention for a project, it would make her really mad. “What I really learned was that I’m not good at working with a boss who doesn’t see my success as their success.” — Beth S., Cleveland, Ohio “If you said yes, he’d give my coworker more work and tell them they had to pick my slack because I was ‘struggling.’ “My lesson: Don’t be the kind of person who asks loaded, trick questions and then draws conclusions based on the answer. Once I realized what was happening, it was so intensely stressful. Every interaction was loaded! I was constantly on edge!” — Katrina R., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania “No joke, she went to her and said, ‘Well, people are starting to say you’ve been slipping back to where you were before your breakdown.’ “Literally no one was saying that. She was a bully. A horrible, nasty bully with no joy in her life. “I learned: Don’t keep files on everyone you’ve ever worked with filled with lists of their various transgressions. And especially don’t use the info in those files to bully your subordinates when you feel insecure.” — Name withheld “I learned this from a boss who lied, stole, and constantly blamed others for his mistakes. He was even caught doing coke in the bathroom and when he got written up for it, he filed a grievance with HR because he said he was being spied on and discriminated against. “He 100 percent saw himself as the victim.” — Erin S., Chicago, Illinois “If you were on the low end, sales wise, he would scream and yell and make you stand in front of everyone while he did it. Needless to say, we had major issues with staff turnover. “From this experience, I learned to look for bosses who promote positive change and give constructive feedback. No public shaming!” — Bethany W., Portland, Oregon “She even got a $5,000 bonus one quarter as a result of our hard work. She brought us bagels as a thank-you. Gee, thanks. $20 of bagels is totally rewarding. “Lesson learned: Good bosses give credit where credit is due.” — Anne L., Santa Fe, New Mexico “Like, no — why do you want us to watch you do crunches? She also tried to force us all to meditate or pray with her, which was uncomfortable for everyone. “On the mean side, she’d go out of her way to find mistakes but would only bring them up in front of other people. She also refused to set up regular meeting times but would rather interrupt when I was on a major deadline and then try to debrief a month’s worth of stuff to talk about. It was so annoying. “My lesson is that if your boss seems weird during the first week, it isn’t going to get better.” — Amy R., Wheaton, Illinois “I once heard him call someone (a male coworker) the c-word. I worked there for three years, which is insane. I wouldn’t date someone who would yell at me, so why I put up with it at work is a mystery. “Lesson learned? A good boss doesn’t need to lead by fear and yelling. And you shouldn’t put up with it.” — Carla H., Saint Paul, Minnesota
title: “11 Lessons Learned From The Worst Bosses” ShowToc: true date: “2024-08-26” author: “Lawrence Lee”
When I left that job, I vowed that I would remember what it was like having her as supervisor. When the day came for me to become the boss, I’d make sure I never made an employee feel the way she made me feel. I did eventually become a supervisor, and I’ve come to realize that I’ve learned something from almost every boss I’ve had. Some of the great bosses have become mentors. It has been 15 years since the last time I saw my worst boss, but I still carry the lessons of my time with her with me. She taught me that fear is not the same as leadership and that, ultimately, no amount of hard work on my end would make her a better person. There are few experiences more universal than having a crappy boss, so I was curious to hear what lessons other women have learned from their worst bosses. Click on for the totally candid truth about what we can all learn from the bosses we’d never want to be like. “I learned that a good boss has boundaries and that you’ve got to let people be off the clock sometimes.” — Maggie C., Seattle, Washington More from CafeMom: 11 Women Open Up About the Best Bosses They’ve Had & Why They Rocked “The thing I learned is that you can’t fix crazy. She was never going to be a good boss, no matter what we did or how hard we worked.” — Hollie J., Des Moines, Iowa “It was maddening to feel like I was being held accountable and my coworker wasn’t. We used to speculate that screw-up girl must have had naked pictures of the boss or something. “Lesson learned: Good bosses don’t play favorites. It is fine if you vibe with some people more than you do others, but everyone should be held to the same basic standards, right?” — Mary F., Oakdale, Minnesota More from CafeMom: 13 Maternity Leave Horror Stories From Working Moms “This boss acted like success and recognition was a zero-sum game, so [if] I got positive attention for a project, it would make her really mad. “What I really learned was that I’m not good at working with a boss who doesn’t see my success as their success.” — Beth S., Cleveland, Ohio “If you said yes, he’d give my coworker more work and tell them they had to pick my slack because I was ‘struggling.’ “My lesson: Don’t be the kind of person who asks loaded, trick questions and then draws conclusions based on the answer. Once I realized what was happening, it was so intensely stressful. Every interaction was loaded! I was constantly on edge!” — Katrina R., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania “No joke, she went to her and said, ‘Well, people are starting to say you’ve been slipping back to where you were before your breakdown.’ “Literally no one was saying that. She was a bully. A horrible, nasty bully with no joy in her life. “I learned: Don’t keep files on everyone you’ve ever worked with filled with lists of their various transgressions. And especially don’t use the info in those files to bully your subordinates when you feel insecure.” — Name withheld “I learned this from a boss who lied, stole, and constantly blamed others for his mistakes. He was even caught doing coke in the bathroom and when he got written up for it, he filed a grievance with HR because he said he was being spied on and discriminated against. “He 100 percent saw himself as the victim.” — Erin S., Chicago, Illinois “If you were on the low end, sales wise, he would scream and yell and make you stand in front of everyone while he did it. Needless to say, we had major issues with staff turnover. “From this experience, I learned to look for bosses who promote positive change and give constructive feedback. No public shaming!” — Bethany W., Portland, Oregon “She even got a $5,000 bonus one quarter as a result of our hard work. She brought us bagels as a thank-you. Gee, thanks. $20 of bagels is totally rewarding. “Lesson learned: Good bosses give credit where credit is due.” — Anne L., Santa Fe, New Mexico “Like, no — why do you want us to watch you do crunches? She also tried to force us all to meditate or pray with her, which was uncomfortable for everyone. “On the mean side, she’d go out of her way to find mistakes but would only bring them up in front of other people. She also refused to set up regular meeting times but would rather interrupt when I was on a major deadline and then try to debrief a month’s worth of stuff to talk about. It was so annoying. “My lesson is that if your boss seems weird during the first week, it isn’t going to get better.” — Amy R., Wheaton, Illinois “I once heard him call someone (a male coworker) the c-word. I worked there for three years, which is insane. I wouldn’t date someone who would yell at me, so why I put up with it at work is a mystery. “Lesson learned? A good boss doesn’t need to lead by fear and yelling. And you shouldn’t put up with it.” — Carla H., Saint Paul, Minnesota
title: “11 Lessons Learned From The Worst Bosses” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-26” author: “Annie Seago”
When I left that job, I vowed that I would remember what it was like having her as supervisor. When the day came for me to become the boss, I’d make sure I never made an employee feel the way she made me feel. I did eventually become a supervisor, and I’ve come to realize that I’ve learned something from almost every boss I’ve had. Some of the great bosses have become mentors. It has been 15 years since the last time I saw my worst boss, but I still carry the lessons of my time with her with me. She taught me that fear is not the same as leadership and that, ultimately, no amount of hard work on my end would make her a better person. There are few experiences more universal than having a crappy boss, so I was curious to hear what lessons other women have learned from their worst bosses. Click on for the totally candid truth about what we can all learn from the bosses we’d never want to be like. “I learned that a good boss has boundaries and that you’ve got to let people be off the clock sometimes.” — Maggie C., Seattle, Washington More from CafeMom: 11 Women Open Up About the Best Bosses They’ve Had & Why They Rocked “The thing I learned is that you can’t fix crazy. She was never going to be a good boss, no matter what we did or how hard we worked.” — Hollie J., Des Moines, Iowa “It was maddening to feel like I was being held accountable and my coworker wasn’t. We used to speculate that screw-up girl must have had naked pictures of the boss or something. “Lesson learned: Good bosses don’t play favorites. It is fine if you vibe with some people more than you do others, but everyone should be held to the same basic standards, right?” — Mary F., Oakdale, Minnesota More from CafeMom: 13 Maternity Leave Horror Stories From Working Moms “This boss acted like success and recognition was a zero-sum game, so [if] I got positive attention for a project, it would make her really mad. “What I really learned was that I’m not good at working with a boss who doesn’t see my success as their success.” — Beth S., Cleveland, Ohio “If you said yes, he’d give my coworker more work and tell them they had to pick my slack because I was ‘struggling.’ “My lesson: Don’t be the kind of person who asks loaded, trick questions and then draws conclusions based on the answer. Once I realized what was happening, it was so intensely stressful. Every interaction was loaded! I was constantly on edge!” — Katrina R., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania “No joke, she went to her and said, ‘Well, people are starting to say you’ve been slipping back to where you were before your breakdown.’ “Literally no one was saying that. She was a bully. A horrible, nasty bully with no joy in her life. “I learned: Don’t keep files on everyone you’ve ever worked with filled with lists of their various transgressions. And especially don’t use the info in those files to bully your subordinates when you feel insecure.” — Name withheld “I learned this from a boss who lied, stole, and constantly blamed others for his mistakes. He was even caught doing coke in the bathroom and when he got written up for it, he filed a grievance with HR because he said he was being spied on and discriminated against. “He 100 percent saw himself as the victim.” — Erin S., Chicago, Illinois “If you were on the low end, sales wise, he would scream and yell and make you stand in front of everyone while he did it. Needless to say, we had major issues with staff turnover. “From this experience, I learned to look for bosses who promote positive change and give constructive feedback. No public shaming!” — Bethany W., Portland, Oregon “She even got a $5,000 bonus one quarter as a result of our hard work. She brought us bagels as a thank-you. Gee, thanks. $20 of bagels is totally rewarding. “Lesson learned: Good bosses give credit where credit is due.” — Anne L., Santa Fe, New Mexico “Like, no — why do you want us to watch you do crunches? She also tried to force us all to meditate or pray with her, which was uncomfortable for everyone. “On the mean side, she’d go out of her way to find mistakes but would only bring them up in front of other people. She also refused to set up regular meeting times but would rather interrupt when I was on a major deadline and then try to debrief a month’s worth of stuff to talk about. It was so annoying. “My lesson is that if your boss seems weird during the first week, it isn’t going to get better.” — Amy R., Wheaton, Illinois “I once heard him call someone (a male coworker) the c-word. I worked there for three years, which is insane. I wouldn’t date someone who would yell at me, so why I put up with it at work is a mystery. “Lesson learned? A good boss doesn’t need to lead by fear and yelling. And you shouldn’t put up with it.” — Carla H., Saint Paul, Minnesota
