The Poor Communicator
This is more of a "bad boss action," than a "bad boss" example.
Small business can be much more informal that large companies, about titles, reporting relationships, work rules, and the like. Indeed, for many employees, that's one of the major attractions of working for a small business.
This does not mean that small business owners can completely ignore the issue of "who reports to whom," for they do so at their peril.
A case in point.
A small business owner had a substantial catalog business in art for the home, employing two workers and a bookkeeper, and a small gallery for direct sales to the public, employing a gallery manager.
As her catalog business grew, she thought about moving the gallery manager into the catalog business to manage it. To do that, she realized, she'd need a new gallery manager. Accordingly, she advertised the position, and shortly hired a woman who accepted the gallery manager position.
Unfortunately, the owner failed to communicate her entire plan to the existing gallery manager, who -- not surprisingly -- saw the newcomer as someone who intended to take over her position.
The two would-be gallery managers became locked in a contest of wills, checkmating each other, and effectively stymieing gallery business.
Two weeks after she started, the new hire quit.
The owner was back to square one, without the catalog manager she'd hoped to have, and with a gallery manager now somewhat paranoid about her position.
The owner's mistake may seem self-evident, but it was not so apparent to her at the time. She and the gallery manager had worked together for several years. She appreciated the gallery manager's long hours and loyalty; it simply never crossed her mind that the gallery manager might be insecure about her future with the business.
Small business or large, management needs to be explicit about its intentions.
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