“Our boss is a moron; He is an idiot; He doesn’t get it; He does not understand our generation, etc., etc.” I had bought a couple of rounds of drinks to get them to loosen up, and once they did, that was the recurring theme around the bar with a group of a dozen Generation Y, newly minted, supervisors and managers from a client company. I was gathering data to understand the culture and people issues before a turnaround engagement, and since I found alcohol to be a great research aid, I took a group of them out for dinner/drinks. Now, my definition of a Moron Boss is a manager who is notably stupid, lacking in good judgment, or demonstrates most if not all of thirteen behaviors I call the Moron Boss’ Thirteen. Having assessed Gary (not his real name), their boss, the previous day, I found him to be a decent manager in a bad situation who tried hard to do the right thing, even if he did not succeed some of the times. He was not exactly the brightest light bulb on the chandelier, so I rated him a solid B, but to hear these folks talk, one would have thought the guy was a complete failure who should have been fired a long time ago.
There are many mediocre managers, but true Moron Bosses, just like truly Exceptional Leaders, are rare. None of us scores zero against the Moron Boss’ Thirteen but a true Moron Boss is a unique experience to behold. In my twenty years as a manager, operating executive, or management consultant I have experienced dozens of bosses and clients, and I can truly say I only had one manager who was truly a Moron Boss, and an unethical and vindictive one to boot… But that particular executive is a discussion for another time after a couple of years go by and my non-disclosures expire.
