Bad Bosses mean so much

I believe entrepreneurship is the source of Canada's future jobs, innovation, and economic security.

That's why one of Canada’s greatest natural resources is its near-infinite supply of bad bosses. Bad Bosses inspire talented employees to quit and start their own businesses, to do things smarter/faster/more independently. Their hostility and ineptitude have inspired many great companies and family fortunes.

So it is with pride and relief that I saw a recent Monster.ca poll in which more than 100,000 Canadians rated their bosses on seven factors. They used a scale ranging from -50 to +50, with zero representing fair performance, +50 representing the perfect boss and -50 a clear failure.

Responses to all seven statements produced an overall score of -3, indicating that Canadian bosses rank just below the middle point. In other words, most of them are bad.

Though Monster puts a positive spin on the results, saying “Canadians are sending a clear message: their bosses are halfway to being perfect - with room for improvement."

The poll says bosses have the most room for improvement in the following areas: - Acknowledging their mistakes -7.1; - Being a born leader -6.2; - Helping employees reach their potential -4.3; and - Taking employees' viewpoints into consideration -3.5.

Our bosses performed best (if you can call it that – look how low these scores are) on: - Letting employees know what is expected +3.6; - Taking employees' well-being into consideration +0.7; and, - Making work challenging and stimulating -0.4.

Monster’s press release concluded that “A good boss can make all the difference, and we hope these results will encourage bosses out there to take a look at how to raise their game every day."

If not, don’t worry about it. Canada needs Bad Bosses, too.