Why a Pushover Boss Isn't as Good as It Seems

You can get your boss to do anything. They’re that easygoing. Miss a deadline? No biggie. Show up late, or do mediocre work? It’s all good. Or is it? Having a boss who’s not in control can actually hurt your career in the long run. If you’re not convinced, Business Insider put together some of the convincing scenarios.

Employees Walk All Over Your Boss

Good news: You and your coworkers can get away with anything.

Bad news: How can your team have any direction if even the worst among you can run roughshod over your boss’s plans? If you have troublemakers, they’ll take constant advantage.

Your Boss Has Obvious Favorites

Good news: Maybe you’re one of them, which is nice, except others will rightly resent you.

Bad news: It’s no fun watching the same people get credit all the time when other people deserve a taste too. It’s also not a good sign when the boss gravitates only toward the employees that offer them validation, say, by sucking up.

Your Boss Is Always Saying “Sorry”

SOURCE: giphy.com

Good news: It’s nice your boss doesn’t pretend to be perfect.

Bad news: When the boss says sorry too often, their employees get sick of hearing it and stop taking them seriously. Also, there are apparently a lot of mistakes being made.

Your Boss Will Do Anything to Avoid Confrontation

Good news: In an argument with your boss, you win!

Bad news: Conflict is inevitable in any group situation, and if your boss hides from conflict, issues remain unresolved. Your boss will also not have your back in a dispute. (They will be hiding.) Even worse, a scaredy-cat boss may unfairly get rid of valuable people just because they make waves.

Your Boss Never Deals With Problem Employees

Good news: If you’re the problem employee, you’re in luck.

Bad news: Troublemakers getting a free pass makes everyone else eventually feel demoralized.

Your Boss Goes With the Flow

Good news: Being chill means being frictionless.

Bad news: A boss without a sense of direction — goals and plans — can cause your entire group to stagnate, and no one will have much incentive to develop or grow.

Your Boss Only Gives Out Positive Feedback

SOURCE: giphy.com

Good news: It’s all good news, all the time.

Bad news: How will you ever improve if your boss doesn’t offer you any guidance? Also, combined with the avoidance of conflict mentioned above, it could be that your boss doesn’t actually like your work and is just too chicken to tell you, which would give you the chance to correct the problem before you get fired.

Your Boss Never Says “No” to a Superior

Good news: Sorry, no good news for you.

Bad news: A boss who’s intent on being a “yes” person to their higher-ups can be a nightmare, responding to every impossible request with a “no problem,” and fulfilling that unfillable request quickly becomes your problem. You can find yourself having to move mountain and earth to achieve something they should’ve known better than to promise in the first place.

Your Boss Has a Hard Time Making Decisions

Good news: You may be able to convince your boss of anything.

Bad news: You’ll spend a lot of time frustrated, waiting for your boss to make decisions both large and small. Indecisiveness in a leader is an infuriating productivity killer.

If this doesn’t sound like your boss, it could be you’ve got a good one, a manager that will help you get good work done and succeed at your job. If it does, prepare to always be on the hunt for ways to work around your lackluster leader’s shortcomings.

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