Companies Have an Aha Moment: Bullies Don’t Make the Best Managers

This is great news and I wish more companies would follow. There are so many borderline sociopaths in management roles -- people that may know quality but lack empathy, and only know how to get what they want from employees by essentially bullying. Often managers above the bullies either don't know or don't care as long as they hit the performance metrics they're seeking.

Think of probably one of the worst bullies out there that achieved the pinnacle of excellence: Steve Jobs. Would Apple have had just as much success or even more success earlier if Jobs wasn't so heartless towards his direct employees? I would bet on it.

Point being is that it's possible to be empathetic and still ask your employees to strive for more. If your employees are afraid of you or view you as someone that doesn't listen and doesn't have their back, you might be missing out on collaborations where they have great ideas that maybe need a little mentoring.

Here's a quote I often try to be mindful of when managing people:

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery