This week, a Guardian article caught my eye:
“Jekyll and Hyde managers: erratic behaviour bosses revealed by research”
The research behind the headline proves what we all know: managers who are inconsistent, unpredictable, or just plain erratic – that is, lovable Dr Jekyll one minute; scary Mr Hyde the next – wreak havoc on their teams.
Have you experienced this type of leadership?
I laughed — not because having a Jekyll & Hyde boss is funny (it’s actually awful) — but because I wonder if the time and money spent on this in-depth study was worthwhile. Do we really need researchers to tell us that employees prefer a boss who isn’t “up and down” when it comes to their mood and behaviour? I’m pretty sure every worker would vote for consistency over chaos.
That said, I wish the research went deeper. Why are some bosses so erratic? Why do they treat their teams badly at times? And most importantly, how can staff deal with those challenges? Now that’s the kind of insight that could genuinely help people.
Still, perhaps it’s a timely reminder. Over a year ago, I wrote about consistency being the number one trait for managers. Consistency isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s the foundation of great leadership. Employees thrive when they know what to expect, and any boss who can’t manage that is setting their team up for failure.
Heck, I’d even rather have a consistently bad boss (I actually did have one, during my corporate career) than an erratic “nice one day; awful the next” boss*. At least with the bad one I knew where I stood.
* Had one of those as well. Funny that 😂
So if you’re a manager, go take a look in the mirror. Are Jekyll and Hyde staring back at you? If you’re unsure, ask your team what type of leader you are.
And if they’re reluctant to answer? There’s your answer.
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What do you think? Is this research helpful, or is it just telling us what we already know?
📞 Want to become a better boss? Keen to avoid the ups and downs of bad leadership? Let’s cut through the theory and focus on what works in practice. Get in touch – I’d love to help.
