Some bosses actually inspire their teams… while others run the office like it’s their own little empire. Instead of teamwork, they lean on job titles, confusing terms, or talk about “culture” nonstop – the truth is, a lot of what they do counts as polite harassment wearing a leadership costume.
These are the managers who misuse power but label it professionalism – making people uneasy without admitting there’s a problem. These so-called leadership tactics get tolerated by companies, despite being nothing more than workplace bullying dressed up as something respectable.
Publicly Calling You Out Instead of Quietly Helping
You slip up once, yet right away, you’re front and center in their little show about failure. Maybe they could’ve said something one-on-one – sure – but instead, they want ‘the audience.’ This isn’t helpful – it’s drama meant to put you down while looking strong.
Truth is, certain bosses treat “feedback” like a way to throw weight around and remind people who calls the shots. Do it often enough, and it stops being guidance – just punishment wearing a manager title.
Using Confusing Language to Make You Feel Stupid
Big companies often hide behind confusing words. The more meaningless phrases they can throw at you, say “leverage cross-functional synergy,” “enable upstream scalability,” “maximize framework efficiencies,” the better. With these fancy words, they aren’t clarifying stuff (not even remotely) – they’re just trying to intimidate you.
Their goal? Make everything seem tricky, so they look like the “smartest” person in the room. If you walk out of their offices, confused, questioning your whole life decisions, or blaming yourself for not getting it, that’s not leadership. You’re dealing with a linguistic bully, not a leader.
Playing Favourites Like It’s a High School Lunch Table
Fair? Not even close. Transparent? Nope. Many bosses run things like high school drama – tossing perks to pet players while others scratch their heads, clueless about secret codes nobody shared.
Bumps up, kudos, lucky breaks, hot gossip – always handed to the usual crew. The rest get scraps and mixed signals. Bosses who split people aren’t leading – they’re playing politics with company cash.
Calling It “Feedback” When It’s Actually Personal Criticism
Some leaders toss “feedback” around like armor – saying stuff most grown-ups wouldn’t dare utter. They nitpick everything. Your tone, your personality, your breathing, how you sound, act, or even pause mid-sentence, skipping straight past the real job tasks. And since it’s tagged as helpful and “constructive,” calling it out feels impossible.
You just can’t call it what it is: a controlled insult with HR-friendly vocabulary. It is literally bullying, pretending to care about your growth. And what stings even more? They expect you to say thank you afterward.
Delegating the Worst Tasks to the Quietest People
Silent workers aren’t unseen – they’re carefully picked and targeted. Managers spot those who stay quiet, then give them the boring, soul-sucking tasks others dodge. Since these folks keep their heads down, it keeps happening.
At the same time, noisy but lazy teammates breeze through without consequence. It’s pressure dressed up as “knowing your strengths,” though what it really means is “You won’t fight me on this.”
Public Praise, Private Pressure
They act like you’re special when people are around – calling you a star or irreplaceable. Yet once alone, suddenly impossible due dates show up, mixed with guilt-heavy comments and pressure-packed “don’t fail me” lines.
That quick switch stings – emotions jerked back and forth. They walk away, seen as encouraging; meanwhile, you’re stuck, overwhelmed, handling work meant for half a dozen folks. Praise hides control here – and saying no seems ungrateful, so most stay quiet.
Pretending Policies Are Written in Stone (Until They Want Something)
When you’re asking for some leeway, rules turn into untouchable laws handed down ages ago. Yet if they expect you to linger past hours, miss your meal, or pile on more tasks? Suddenly, those same rules shift into loose suggestions.
That kind of pick-and-choose follow-through isn’t guidance – it’s bending the system while wearing authority like armor. They wave the policy around to keep you in line, then toss it aside once it gets in their way. Sounds just like “follow my words, ignore my actions,” office edition.
Using ‘Team Spirit’ to Guilt People into Overworking
Nothing reeks of tolerated pressure quite like saying “we’re a family,” “think of the goal,” or that awful line – “Take one for the team.” What does it really mean? Stay late without pay and act happy doing it.
Bosses adore these lines since shame costs way less than bringing on new people. It’s mind games dressed up as passion, and let’s be real – the only thing being shared is exhaustion piling up together.
Things Your Boss Does That May Sound Polite but Aren’t
What sounds “nice” at times is really calculated manipulation. If you ever catch yourself walking away from a “polite” remark feeling low-keyed played, you are not dreaming (really). Here’s what those suave movements might actually mean.
Things Your Boss Does That May Sound Polite but Aren’t