We have all experienced the good boss and the not-so-good boss. The Brutish Boss’s mantra is “I’m the Boss!  You are here for me.” while the Servant Boss says “I’m the Servant!  I am here for you.”  The Servant Boss delivers better long term results and lives a better life.  Read on for a personal story about my experience with a Brutish Boss, and the characteristics I like to see in a Servant Boss.

My Own Brutish Boss

I had a Brutish Boss when I was a 25 year-old Computer Engineer, I was working for a small startup company.  We had installed a multi-room television system in a Ramada Inn, and I had actually been writing code for 36 hours straight for a demo to some Japanese Investors.  I was exhausted and exhilarated that the system we were building was going to be the subject of investment.

8 hours away from the demo, my boss, the founder of the company came in and asked for a status update.  I explained the features that were ready for the demo, and asked him which of the remaining features he wanted built.  I asked him to choose between A, B, and C.  This is when the volcano erupted.

My boss started yelling at me, unleashing his personal frustrations of the many months leading up to this.  I cannot describe this as anything but a temper tantrum.  Now, I had been taught my whole life to respect authority and follow leadership.  However, he had had a history of abuse he had hurled on my coworkers.  To be honest I thought nothing of his abuse until he pointed it at me; I was still young and probably narcissistic.

After 36 hours of no sleep, and this abuse, I realized that my boss needed me more than I needed him.  I could go get another job.  I could stop right there and leave the system incomplete and he would have no knowledge or coding experience to prepare for the demo.  Your Boss Should Be Your Servant with own indefensible tantrum and told him I would go to my room and think about whether I would come back to help him finish the demo.  As I rested, he had a few hours of nervousness, I am sure.

He had pushed me too far, but more importantly, he taught me a lesson at 25 that was really important.  I learned that in many cases, the boss is actually at the mercy of the employee.  I learned that when the boss uses fear and intimidation, an employee’s loyalty and trust can be lost in an instant.  It was a terrible moment and an incredible gift he gave me that day.

And yes, I did go back and finish the demo and we did not get the investment from that group.  I worked for that boss for about 2 more years; the actual work was amazing.  He kept throwing tantrums at other people, but not really at me.  I guess he learned he could not push me around, and found other victims for his frustrations.

When someone offered me interesting work and more money to join another amazing startup company, I vividly remember that I had no more loyalty left for this tyrannical boss.  He had lost my trust and confidence.  I jumped ship and never looked back.  If he had been a Servant Boss, I may have considered staying.

Over the years, I have had lots of people work for me, and I always try my best to be the Servant bBoss, not the brutish one.

The Brutish Boss

We have all had that boss that made it all about themselves.  The power, the ego, the know it all attitude and the inability to see other points of view are all blindspots for them.  The talent that works for them eventually goes away and they are left with those that have no choice.  In many organizations  this type of brutish boss’s days are numbered.  Here are some of the things they say:

• “You don’t understand and I don’t have the time to explain it to you.”
• “Stop asking questions, and just do it.”
• “We talked about this last week.  Why isn’t it done?”
• “So and so is not very good.  I’m going to fire them.”
• “I have shares in the company so you must listen to me.”
• “I outrank you so do as I say”. (A manager from another division).
• “It’s not that complicated, and don’t explain it to me.  Just do it.”

The Brutish Boss has a few characteristics, including

1. Domination.  Uses the sheer force of rank and implied threats.
2. Micromanagement.  Very concerned on how things are done, not what to achieve.
3. Inaccessible.  Not open to listening to other points of view..
4. Play Favourites.  Plays direct reports against each other.
5. Hypocritical.  Says one thing, does another.

The Servant Boss

Servant Bosses enjoy higher probability of success, and less loneliness along the way.  They attract the best talent from other teams, and retain them longer.  Servant Bosses enjoy good relationships with people, and a loyalty that is impossible to get through domination.  The trust they show in DR’s is returned 10 fold.  Cohesive, productive teams that know what they are supposed to do will rally under the proper leadership.

The Servant Boss (SB) exists for the benefit of his/her Direct Reports (DR).  Here is a list of the ideal Servant Boss’ characteristics:

1. Enablement.  Provides the proper tools and environment for DR’s.
2. Empowerment.  Allows DR’s to make decisions.
3. Trust.  Trusts that the DR’s will behave the proper way.
4. Protection.  Protects DR’s from outside influences so that the DR can succeed.
5. Clarity.  Communicates proper and specific direction on what goal needs to be achieved.
6. Feedback.  The SB is timely and consistent in his feedback on his DR’s.
7. Environment.  Esures a proper physical and cultural environment exists.
8. Growth.  Invests time and energy in the growth of DR’s.
9. Faith.  Shows unwavering faith in the DR’s.
10. Coach.  Coaches the DR to be better and stronger every day.

The Servant versus the Brute

“I’m the Boss!  You are here for me.” Is what the brutish boss exclaims, eager to assert authority.  The Servant Boss says “I’m the Servant!  I am here for you.”  Historically, both types of bosses have extracted productivity from their Direct Reports.  The Brutish Boss is capable of short term gains, but the Servant Boss fits the modern workplace much more effectively and has better outcomes for the company and the bottom line.  Long live the Servant Boss!

Feel free to share your stories of Brutish Bosses or some kudos for some Servant Bosses.