What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses with Mita Mallick

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This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:   

1. What impact does internal workplace culture have on the external customer experience? 
2. How can leaders set healthier communication boundaries with their employees? 
3. How can companies create an inclusive culture that values both employees and customers equally? 
4. What are some negative leadership behaviors that can affect employee engagement and customer service? 
5. Why is it important for leaders to address problematic employee behavior immediately? 

Top Takeaways

• Employees are sometimes the ‘forgotten customers’ in a business. Just as companies focus on serving their external customers, it is important to also care for internal customers, your team members.  
• When employees feel valued and respected, they are more likely to treat customers in the same way. The quality of service on the outside is often a reflection of how employees are treated within the organization. 
• The worst behaviors in any workplace become part of its culture if they are allowed to continue. Whether it’s disrespect or disengagement, what leaders and team members let slide becomes the norm.  

• Leaders should consider whether their personal habits force their team members to sacrifice their personal time. Work doesn’t need to spill into all hours of the day and night. For example, when employees feel pressured to respond to emails outside of their work hours, it can cause burnout and stress. Even a simple message like “no need to respond right away” can help set healthy boundaries. 

• When things change, you have to be willing to revise your goals. Have an honest conversation with your team to find out if they have all the tools and resources that they need to achieve a goal. If not, find out if you can help them or if it is time to set more realistic goals.  

• Admitting when you are struggling shows strength, not weakness. If someone is dealing with personal struggles, being open about it helps others understand and can make the workplace more supportive. 

• Bad bosses can teach as much, if not more, than great bosses. Watching what doesn’t work and feeling the impact of negative behaviors can inspire people to do the opposite.  

• Great leaders regularly examine their own behavior. It’s easy to spot toxic bosses in others, but it is harder to recognize those traits in yourself. Leaders should take the time to ask themselves, “Am I making it harder for someone to succeed here?”  

• Plus, Mita shares memorable stories of bad bosses she’s encountered (including herself) and the lessons from those experiences. Tune in! 

Quotes:

“The biggest complaint in any relationship, whether at home or work, is a lack of time for each other. If you’re not making time for your team, you really need to ask yourself why you’re leading them.” 

“If you treat every single thing as urgent, then nothing truly becomes urgent.”  

“We spend too much time at work not to care about what’s happening to each other.” 

“Your workplace culture is defined by the worst behavior you tolerate.” 

“Disengagement is contagious. It affects your employee base and it shows up when they are dealing with customers.” 

About:

Mita Mallick is an inclusive marketing expert and cultural change agent known for transforming organizations. She’s the bestselling author of Reimagine Inclusion and , The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn From Bad Bosses. 

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.