If your boss is a jerk who constantly yells at people, it’s okay to speak up, and THANK them for it.
A new study at Columbia found a lot of us actually WANT a mean boss. Being “harsh” and antagonizing people isn’t always seen as a bad thing. It all comes down to your worldview.
If you think the world is mostly a “caring” and “collaborative” place, you probably don’t like mean bosses. But if you think it’s a dog-eat-dog world, you might think it’s necessary.
The study found people in the “caring” group tend to see aggressive leadership as ineffective, and a sign you don’t know how to manage people very well.
But if you think it’s a dog-eat-dog world, you’re more likely to respect or even ADMIRE managers who get angry and yell.
The researchers behind the study say it was inspired by a real-world example that went viral in 2022. You might remember it.
An Olive Garden manager in Kansas sent out a memo about too many people calling in sick. It said, “If you call off, you might as well go out and look for another job.” And “If your dog died, you need to bring him in and PROVE it.”
There was a huge backlash online, and the manager got FIRED. But a lot of people said the real problem was too many lazy employees.
