The Importance of Strong Leadership
A good manager can inspire, guide, and elevate a team. A weak manager? They do the opposite—fostering frustration, confusion, and, often, mass resignations. It’s often said, “You hire smart people to tell you what to do, not the other way around.” But weak managers don’t get this.
The problem lies in how many managers obtain their roles—not through skill or merit, but by knowing the right people or simply being in the right place at the right time. The result? Unqualified individuals placed in positions of power they don’t know how to handle. This isn’t just anecdotal—studies show that 82% of managers are chosen for the wrong reasons, such as technical skills rather than leadership qualities (Gallup).
In my experience, weak and incompetent managers show their true colors in subtle but damaging ways. Let’s break it down.
How to Spot a Weak or Incompetent Manager
1. Poor Communication Skills
Weak managers often fail to communicate effectively. Instead of fostering clarity, they:
- Use unclear language: Employees leave meetings more confused than before.
- Avoid accountability: When asked for clarification, their responses feel like puzzles, leaving employees piecing things together themselves.
- Rely on threats and condescension: For example, I once witnessed a manager in a Zoom chat threaten employees with one-on-one meetings, only to backpedal when confronted by an employee who asked, “Why are you so angry?”
These managers are great at deflecting questions but terrible at giving actionable answers. Their lack of communication skills reflects their own insecurity, which they project onto employees.
2. Micromanagement
Weak managers micromanage because they don’t trust their team—or themselves. Despite not being on the front lines or knowing the current realities of the job, they act as though they know better. Yes, maybe they did the job years ago, but jobs evolve, responsibilities shift, and the tools and expectations change over time.
3. Sabotaging Strong Employees
A weak manager’s greatest threat is a competent employee. Instead of nurturing talent, they often:
- Sabotage by withholding feedback: If they don’t tell you what’s wrong, how can you improve?
- Prevent upward mobility: Good employees are kept in their current roles so their performance can continue to make the manager look good.
- Favor their “inner circle”: They tolerate bad employees who are part of their “clique” while marginalizing high performers.
4. Creating a Toxic Work Environment
Weak managers thrive in chaos, often fostering unnecessary drama to deflect attention from their own incompetence. Worse, they sometimes target employees who call them out, retaliating with vague feedback, write-ups, or passive-aggressive behaviors.
Why Employees Leave
Weak managers are the number one reason employees quit. According to a 2019 Gallup survey, 50% of employees leave their jobs because of their manager. It’s not hard to see why. When you’re constantly undermined, ignored, or sabotaged, staying becomes emotionally and financially draining.
The Catch-22 of Trying to Quit or Get Fired
But leaving isn’t always easy. Imagine being an employee who wants out but can’t afford the instability of unemployment. With nearly 60% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck (CNBC), quitting isn’t always an option.
Now imagine trying to get fired. You’d think a weak manager would make this easy, right? Wrong. Weak managers cling to control and often make it unnecessarily hard to leave. They:
- Drag you into pointless meetings.
- Write you up for trivial issues while refusing to address your resignation.
- Create toxic obstacles that make every day a struggle.
And when you try to stick it out, hoping for stability until retirement? Their middle school antics and power plays make even showing up a Herculean task.
A Real-Life Example: “Middle School Mindset” Management
I recently returned to a company I thought would be my long-term, stable job until retirement. Instead, I encountered managers who acted more like teenagers in a clique.
When I called one out for threatening to write me up over something out of my control, they retaliated by moving me to another team. What feedback could they possibly give me? They didn’t even understand my role or how to do my job. Their goal wasn’t to help me grow but to cover their own incompetence.
This childish behavior isn’t just frustrating—it’s costly. Weak managers don’t just drive out good employees; they prevent the organization from thriving.
How Companies Can Fix This Problem
For companies to survive and retain talent, they need to address weak management head-on:
- Hire for Leadership, Not Just Technical Skills
Managers should be chosen for their ability to lead, not just their familiarity with the role. - Provide Ongoing Leadership Training
Continuous education isn’t just for employees—managers need it too. Regular leadership training can prevent the toxic behaviors that drive employees away. - Hold Managers Accountable
Employees aren’t the only ones who should be evaluated. Companies must create mechanisms to ensure managers are fostering a healthy, productive work environment. - Encourage Open Feedback
Employees should feel safe giving feedback about their managers without fear of retaliation.
Conclusion: Surviving Weak Managers in a Tough World
Being alive is hard enough—don’t let weak management make it harder. If you’re dealing with an incompetent boss, document everything, advocate for yourself, and remember: their failures aren’t a reflection of you.
To employers: good employees don’t leave jobs; they leave bad managers. Take a hard look at who’s leading your teams. Because as long as weak managers are in charge, you’re not just losing employees—you’re losing your company’s future.
And to anyone reading this, stuck under a weak leader, remember: you deserve better. Keep your head up, plan your next move, and know that stability is possible—even if it means stepping away from chaos.
