The 17 things you should never say to your boss
You know I’m only here for the money right? Picture: Thinkstock.
“LEAVE me alone!”
I said it to my boss at Radio Disney many years ago. I was a young, very high-performing salesperson,
and he was my sales manager. Even though I was generating huge sales
numbers, I was often late to work and every morning, as I passed by his
office, he would look down at his watch and shake his head
disapprovingly.
I knew I was wrong to be late, but I got
increasingly frustrated by his looking down at that watch, his
complaints to me, and his lack of positive recognition about my sales
accomplishments.
So one day, after coming in at 9.05 and seeing him look down
at that watch again, I marched right into his office and told him to
leave me alone.
I got sent home that day. We eventually mended
things, and came to an understanding about how important punctuality was
to him, and how important positive feedback was to me. But our
relationship was never totally mended.
Fifteen years later, now I
am a boss, and have had my share of interesting things said to me. I
believe all leaders and managers should try to keep an open mind and
encourage open communication from all of their reports. Still, perhaps
there are some things better left unsaid? To find out the answers, I
asked 17 young bosses what the worst thing they’d ever been told was.
Here are their answers, or what not to say to your boss.
1. “I’m just here for the money”
In
China, it is very common for a lot of employees to work just for the
money. This means they will leave if you fail to give them a raise or if
their peers start to make a lot more money than they do. Our interview
process has filtered this as much as possible but if we hear through the
“grapevine” that the person is just doing the job for the money we will
let them go very quickly.
— Derek Capo, CEO and Founder, Next Step China
2. “You never told me to do it”
When
something important doesn’t get done, the worst thing you can say is,
“You never asked me to do it.” There are few better ways to neglect
yourself of that promotion, a raise, or even job security.
— Ken Cauley, President, Advanced Media
‘You never told me to do it’ is one of the worst things you can say to a boss. Picture: Thinkstock.
3. “There’s something wrong”
It’s easy to
complain about what’s wrong. It’s hard to come up with solutions to fix
the problem. My former manager at LivingSocial said, “Be a problem
solver, not spotter,” and I’ve taken this advice to heart in my everyday
life. If you see a problem, don’t address the situation with what’s
wrong; address the situation with an answer. If you don’t have a real
solution, wait until you do.
— Sarah Ware, Markerly
4. “I want to do what’s easiest”
We
have a client who had an employee literally explain that he would
rather do a particularly menial task than the task that the employer had
assigned because it would be easier for him. We were shocked. This is
the most explicit way to alert your boss that you don’t care about
improving your skill set without directly telling him. Never do this if
you care about your career!
— Patrick Conley, Founder/CEO, Automation Heroes
5. “That takes up too much time”
Through
the years, we have had many operational restructurings that have
required large amounts of data to be filtered and edited or reformatted
in some manner. There’s nothing worse than an employee who complains
about the amount of time required to move the company to the next level.
— Laura Land, CFO/COO, Accessory Export, LLC
6. “I could be doing other things”
Bratty
much? Don’t complain about your job. If you hate it, quit. If there’s
something wrong with it, find a way to fix it. If someone or something
is really ticking you off, don’t project your anger onto others,
especially not your boss. If it’s a good job, be grateful for it. If you
want more out of your job, make it happen. Be diplomatic about it and
make it your dream job, or leave.
— Danny Wong, Co-founder, Blank Label
‘I’ll get right on to that, just after this nap.’ Picture: Thinkstock.
7. “I promise to do that”
Don’t ever tell your
boss you’re able to do something if you know you may not be able to
deliver. It is better to be honest, ask for advice and have a proactive
attitude. If you fail to deliver, then it has negative repercussions for
the business, which is taken much more seriously.
— Christopher Pruijsen, Co-Founder/Partnerships, Afrostart.io
8. “It’s too difficult”
I
get fired up when someone is paralysed and doesn’t complete a task
because it’s difficult or because few others have done it. We’re a
disruptive company that has to innovate, that has to do things few have
done before us. One of my advisers here has a quote: “If it were easy,
everyone would be doing it.” We won’t win if we don’t think big.
— Marcos Cordero, Chief Gradsaver, GradSave, LLC
9. “I agree to disagree”
Whether
it is said explicitly or passive-aggressively, this mindset has no
place in start-up culture. Those who have this mindset should either
found their own start-ups or go work in big corporate America where this
goes unnoticed. At a start-up, you’re either all the way in or all the
way out.
— Danny Boice, Co-Founder and CTO, Speek
10. “I don’t have an opinion”
The
people who just sit and nod their heads are the ones who are
expendable. If you want to make an impression as a valuable member of
the team, offer your insights. No one ever agrees with his boss 100 per
cent all the time, so make your opinion known if you have something
worth saying.
— Nick Friedman, President, College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving
11. “I can’t”
I
don’t want to hear excuses ever! We focus on hiring can-do, positive,
creative employees with passion, drive and determination.
— Kuba Jewgieniew, Founder and CEO, Realty ONE Group
12. “I’m not optimistic”
The
most important thing for any team member is to stay optimistic. Being a
pessimist and doubting the future of the company is a real downer.
There is nothing wrong with being realistic; however, people who are
melancholy suck the life out of an early-stage company and cannot last
long.
— Raoul Davis, CEO, Ascendant Group
Don’t look at me, I’m done for the day. Picture: Thinkstock.
13. “I’m clocked out”
There is nothing more
discouraging to an entrepreneur than when an employee says he is not
willing to go the extra mile because he isn’t “clocked in”. We remind
our employees that they work for a young company and they are in control
of their own careers. Acting within the status quo never gets you to
the top!
— Darren Solomon, President, Kid Ventures
14. “That’s not my responsibility”
It’s
critical that everyone feels invested in the success of all areas of
the business. Everyone should be willing to pitch in, even if what’s
required isn’t part of their normal day-to-day activities.
— Robert J. Moore, Co-Founder and CEO, RJMetrics
15. “That’s not my job”
Your
responsibilities aren’t limited to what was listed in your original job
description — especially at a start-up. Unless your boss is asking you
to do something illegal or unethical, you should do it.
— Mary Ellen Slayter, Founder/Managing Director, Reputation Capital
16. “I don’t like working for other people”
An employee actually told me that he didn’t like working for other people. That person doesn’t work for me anymore!
— Andrew Angus, CEO, Switch Video
17. “I’m not working hard”
I
never want to know that someone who works for me isn’t working hard.
People can disagree with me, and I’m fine to hear criticism. I’ll never
lose respect for anyone because he disagrees with me or because they
failed. I don’t want to know if someone is giving less than their best
effort or that someone lied. I have high expectations of people when it
comes to their work ethic.
— Dries Buytaert, Co-founder and CTO, Drupal
I want money. Lots of it. Picture: Thinkstock.
As for me? I can actually handle, even encourage, most of the
statements above being said to me, because as long as they’re honest,
they’ll help me build a better company and help my employees find their
place, either at one of my companies or elsewhere. I’d rather know what
people really think, so I encourage people to feel comfortable saying
anything to me.
The one thing I think you should never say to me
or your boss? A lie. I’ve written before about the importance and power
of honesty. In employee — manager relations, honesty is as important as
it is anywhere.
Always tell the truth to your boss, and never tell
a lie. Lies are too risky — not only to your relationship with your
boss, but to your relationship with yourself.
Dave Kerpen is the founder and CEO of Likeable Local and the New York Times best-selling author of Likeable Social Media and Likeable Business. This article originally appeared on LinkedIn.
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