"Bad Boss" is a broad term. Like anything, there are kind-of-bad ones and really bad ones. "There's something of a continuum of bad bosses, from the bad bosses who are the powerful tyrants and really into control, to those who are bad because they're just disorganized," says Gini Graham Scott, author of "A Survival Guide to Working With Bad Bosses." In other words, there's a range of boss behavior, and the bad ones are outside the "normal" range.

For example, I'll agree with you that a boss needs to have control of his business -- to know what everyone is doing so that all the work gets done. But the bad boss takes that control to one extreme of that continuum or the other, either by playing power games or taking a hands-off approach. Likewise, they're either tyrants or wishy-washy, inflexible or disorganized, impulsive or indecisive. They micromanage their employees or offer no direction, and, emotionally, they're either excitable or totally lacking empathy. Certainly, most supervisors or business owners don't want to be any of these bad bosses, but the truth is, all but the most spectacular can use some polish. But that means they -- you, me, whoever -- needs to be willing to change. It helps to understand the cost of being a bad manager, and it certainly doesn't hurt to know that making changes and keeping from slipping back into old habits isn't going to be painful. Oh, it'll be work. For most managers with disagreeable habits, the blinders get torn off when key people start leaving the job. Indeed, a bad boss is one of the big reasons people cite for leaving their job, according to human resources experts who study this kind of stuff. That's the lesson for managers and owners: Losing people is expensive. "Turnover can be a problem, not only in the sense of training, but then there's the time it takes to get somebody up to speed," Scott says. "So it slows down productivity."

Even if they don't leave, your employees' morale suffers, since the people who do keep coming to work really don't like it there, Scott says. As a result, they don't do as good a job as they would have done if they were motivated, happy, enthusiastic, and all that. They'll start making excuses for why things aren't done right, they'll call in sick more often, and they'll take longer breaks. Among their co-workers, they become paranoid and resentful. So if a boss doesn't want to be a bad one, he's got to change. Stephen E. Kohn, author of "6 Habits of Highly Effective Bosses," offers -- you guessed it -- six steps to making sure such a boss is shaking his bad-boss habits.

1. Practice Self-Awareness. If even one of our previously mentioned behaviors sound familiar -- however vaguely -- you've got some work to do. Start by opening up communication with your employees to identify the problem spots. In fact, make communication part of your daily routine, and collect the perspectives of everyone on your staff to get -- and stay -- on the right track. Give them a standing invitation to visit your office, and give them time when they do. Schedule -- and attend -- regular staff meetings, and encourage people to speak their minds and offer their opinions to the issues on the agenda. When they talk, use active listening -- that is, show you're paying attention. If all else fails, and you need to, install an anonymous suggestion box. Be forewarned that at first, your employees will tell you everything is "fine." Don't settle for that. Dig deeper by (politely) asking them open-ended questions that pull out their opinions. Ask them what they'd do differently. Just remember that this isn't a time to feel defensive; this is a time to learn. You want your people to feel comfortable with your open-door policy; this is how they learn to feel comfortable asking questions, clarifying misunderstandings, and so forth. And remember, if they've got a better way to do things, try it. There's nothing wrong with deferring to their hands-on knowledge. "Have that openness to be receptive to change if what they say makes a lot of sense when you opened the door for them to explain," Scott says.

If you need some guidance, seek management coaching or attend training. Or, find a mentor at a local business group. If all else fails, pick up a book on leadership. And, lastly, if you've got a particularly difficult-to-shake habit, post a note to yourself to stay on task.

2. Practice Empathy. Empathy, of course, means that you have the capacity to understand and respond to the experience of another person. It assumes that you think each employee adds value to your organization and is therefore part of the team who deserves to have the tools, training, motivation and support to be successful at their job.

That means when you're talking to your employees, you want to understand what they're feeling. To do that, you employ active listening techniques, you ask open-ended questions, and you avoid snap decisions. You take the time to hear them out, and you rephrase what they say so that you show them you understand them.

That applies to approving special requests, too. If you understand why an employee asks for a favor, you can better decide if that favor is appropriate and fair to everyone. Does your repair guy need to go to the bank right now? Probably not -- unless he just got back from a three-day technician school that you sent him to, and he has to deposit his paycheck so the mortgage check doesn't bounce.

3. Practice the Golden Rule. You know this one: Treat others how you want to be treated, and that should certainly apply to your employees. After all, the future of your business is in their hands. Greet them first thing in the morning. Listen to them without interrupting. Say please and thank you. Arrive promptly for meetings. Don't be abusive. You get the idea. But it also means you need to show fairness, and not treat one "prized" employee differently from another. This is where having policies, procedures and guidelines can help you, because they give you a standard to measure decisions against. Employees like you to make consistent decisions, and make ones that are right for the business, not for just you or for one particular employee.

Beyond fairness, there are other aspects to consider, such as displaying honesty, giving genuine feedback -- both good and bad -- and valuing the opinions and backgrounds of your people, your customers and, really, everyone -- in other words, avoid stereotypes or biases against other cultural, religious or social groups.

Finally, when it comes time to do things differently, you need to be diplomatic instead of just coming in and saying this is how we're going to do it, Scott says, even if this is the right thing to do. Recognize that, with all change, it'll take them some time to adapt.

4. Practice Proper Boundaries. Unfortunately, if you want to be treated and respected, as the boss, you need to set boundaries. After all, you're the one who manages performance, offers feedback, provides mentoring and, ultimately, makes personnel decisions. Of course, that also means you can't really be "best friends forever" with your staff, at least during business hours. That can be a challenge for you newly promoted managers.

Kohn says there are definite no-no's in the workplace. This includes romantic involvement with employees (other than your spouse, although that's a whole different bag of worms), indebtedness to your employees, off-color e-mails or jokes with employees, and illegal or immoral activity with "the gang." (Romantic involvement with a subordinate is a double-edged sword in terms of potential sexual harassment claims. If the relationship sours, the object of your affection can claim that the arrangement was coerced. In addition, other employees can raise sex discrimination claims if it appears that your paramour has received special benefits and favors. Best advice: Hands off the employees.)

Physical boundaries apply, too. Handshakes are OK, but the ice gets thinner with a one-armed hug accompanying a handshake, especially when directed at the opposite sex. Hugs, neck massages, and other forms of more overt physical contact is a definite danger. Remember, the one you're hugging isn't necessarily the only one who might be offended by public displays of affection.

Lastly, there are social boundaries. After-hour office get-togethers are one thing, but visiting an employee's house is different. For one, the rest of the guests might see your attendance as a doggy-downer. Bosses should be gracious and be the first to leave. Boundaries apply on trips, too. Avoid hanging out in situations that might compromise your authority, such as sharing hotel rooms. Your sales guy is never going to forget your Superman boxers, and he'll tell everyone.

5. Practice Artful Criticism. You no doubt know about the "sandwich technique" of criticism. That's where you open with a positive, explain your criticism then close with another positive affirmation. The "artful" part is a little more elaborate, Kohn says.

The first part, he says, is making sure you have your facts straight. Let's just say, you should avoid disciplining the wrong person. Even moreso, having documentation gives you something specific to talk about. We'll get to that more in a bit.

Make sure you choose the best timing for a critique. Don't be too hasty; you want to avoid rash, demeaning, impulsive attacks that come in the heat of the moment. Kohn suggests correcting negative behavior within 48 hours, while the event is still fresh. The caveat is when the project needs to get done pronto, in spite of someone's performance issue. Focus your initial criticism on how to get the job done. Later, focus on keeping it from happening again. Kohn suggests that you also avoid criticism in public, not only to give privacy to the person you're coaching -- after all, it's nobody else's business -- but taking someone to task publicly wastes the rest of your employees' time, too, because it's none of their business. Once the door is closed, be sure to condemn the deed, not the doer. Simply explain what was done wrong, why it was wrong, and how to avoid doing that again in the future. Avoid using "you"; you're not trying to place blame, you're trying to correct performance. After the fact, follow up with the employee to check and see how things are going, like you would with any other management directive.

6. Practice Flexibility With Different Personalities. Certainly, some employees need more input than others, yet one employee's "thorough guidance" is another's "micromanaging." Don't try to manage every employee the same way. Chances are, if you are having squabbles with your folks, that's what's going on.

Kohn characterizes employees four ways. There are those who simply want to get tasks done efficiently. For them, you want to point them in a direction and get out of their way. For managing them, your input should be brief, concise and solution-oriented.

The second group wants to get it done right. They are detail-oriented, and they thrive on using a process that ensures that outcome. Motivating them requires having an awareness of importance of quality to them, so don't rush them. Instead, help them plan the step-by-step processes they need to accomplish in order to do top-quality work.

The third group wants to get along. They're hard-core team players, and they struggle with solo assignments. Indeed, they need tasks that allow them to make small talk and have fun. The fourth group wants to get appreciation. They thrive on positive feedback, recognition and rewards. So give that to them. Figure out what motivates you, then each of your employees. Recognize that each is different, and likely different from you. That's important to remember -- so important that you should brainstorm different problem-solving techniques for each so you have the tools in hand when you need them.

Manager, Heal Thyself

Once you figure out any bad-boss tendencies that you might have, it's not that hard to shake them up. Really, simple awareness may be the bulk of your problem, Scott says, and it's definitely the first step toward reconciliation. That's a pretty fundamental decision. You can be the kind of boss that your people love, or the kind of boss they love to talk about when you're not around.

Types of Bad Bosses Do Any of These Describe You?

According to Gini Graham Scott, author of "A Survival Guide to Working With Bad Bosses," there are five broad categories of offenses, ranging from the downright dastardly to the simply annoying. The take-home point is that it doesn't matter if the behavior is intentional or not, bad is bad in your employee's eyes.

The 'unethical' boss. To be sure, the boss who asks her employees to do something dangerous, something that covers up her mistakes so she doesn't get into, say, legal trouble, something criminal, or something that's just plain creepy, then she's an unethical boss. She's also a jerk.

Of course, you're not, but you can still be this kind of boss even when your actions start with good intentions. Consider that even if you're not asking an employee to break a law, you might be asking them to violate their values. For example, you put pressure on them to sell gear to customers that doesn't fit their needs -- or their bodies -- or they see you drive home from a party after indulging a little too heavily on the rum punch, or you ask them to cut corners that they don't necessarily feel comfortable with on equipment maintenance, just to save money. Likewise, if times are tight in the store, and you're writing a bad check to a vendor, that's going to shape their opinion of you, and not for the better. You've caused your relationship with your employees to deteriorate, since that relationship seems -- to them, at least -- to be built on distrust and dishonesty.

The 'out-of-bounds' boss. These kinds of bosses shoot dirty looks at employees who complain or leering glances at female customers in the pool, or they demean their people by being verbally abusive or insulting. Everyone's allowed to have a bad day -- even the boss -- but that doesn't give him free reign to call employees "stupid" or suggest they "get a clue."

But you can be out of bounds even if you're nothing but polite to your people. If you're calling them about work when they're on vacation, or you require company meetings during lunch -- or even worse, on their days off, and you don't pay them for it -- then you're violating your boundaries. You're not doing anyone any favors by disrupting the increasingly fine line between work and personal time.

That even extends to company events. While you may look at a happy-hour get-together or the annual July 4 barbecue as a time for some fellowship, they may not, especially if they have families. Don't be insulted, and don't even pretend that you're offended. Just because work is your life, it may not be theirs.

The 'power-hungry' boss. Nothing's better than setting up employees just to get a chance to ridicule them -- except maybe pitting co-workers against one another to create chaos, right? After all, that's how you show who's in control. Besides, it's your right to take potshots at your employees, criticizing their work, their dress, even their family lineage. You're the boss. The bums are lucky to have this job.

We'll assume you've never used the line, "it's my shop" when someone's questioned why you're going to have to miss doing annual January inventory count, or some other onerous task, because you're going to take a group of divers on a particularly plush trip. And, no doubt, you know the do-what-I-say tack isn't all that helpful, either. And, obviously, you always explain why you want something done and you proactively shift your employees' priorities to help them during busy times.

Yet, if your employees perceive your feedback as you nitpicking how they do their jobs -- even, again, if it's purely unintentional -- you'll leave them worried more about keeping you happy than serving your customers. That goes doubly when you have a business partner, or a hands-on manager and owner team, and the employee is being criticized for following the other guy's instructions. Pity the poor schmuck who's yelled at for serving one boss over the other because they couldn't get on the same page.

The 'unfair' boss. A boss who's perfectly happy being unfair will anoint one employee or another as his "favorite." In return, he'll dole out the best demo gear, the best trips, and the best customers to his "flavor of the week," unconcerned that he's building animosity among his staff and wrecking any feelings of goodwill he might have accidentally earned. Of course, that's nothing compared with when he takes credit for all the company's successes and points fingers when something goes wrong.

One risk you should be aware of occurs when one employee feels like she's doing more than her share of the work without the additional pay or promotion that makes such an arrangement tolerable. A promise to make the extra duty worth her while -- with a future promotion, some extra vacation, a comp day off, or even the lead spot on one of those cushy trips -- means that you'd better follow up on that. She'll overlook the occasional broken promise or unfairness, but she'll notice when it becomes a trend.

The worst kick in the shins by the unfair boss is the backhand compliment. Even if you're just messing around, saying something like, "You screw up a lot, but you sure are a good guy" can really mess with your employee's head. The perceived put-down leaves a stronger impression than the compliment, and if you're not fair enough to praise a job well done, how are you going to act after he has a fender-bender in the shop van and says it wasn't his fault? Or when a customer complains that he was rude yesterday? Or when he really needs your support, like when his kid is in the hospital?

The 'unfit' boss. You've no doubt heard of the Peter Principle, the idea that a person will rise to a position where he or she becomes incompetent. This is the classic example of the person who was good at his job, so he got promoted up and up the ladder. Except that while he was a great sales guy or repair tech, he's a horrible manager. He's the exact opposite of the micromanager; instead of telling people what to do, he waits for someone else to make decisions. Even worse, he just doesn't "get it" and makes bone-headed decisions. In either case, his employees are left to cover for him. You don't have to be in charge very long to figure out that managing work is different from doing it, but just like anything else, those skills can be learned. The signs that you might have some brushing up to do include losing track of the assignments you've made to your employees, or forgetting to follow up with projects until they need to get done, or even changing direction midstream. That leaves your people to face an obligatory last-minute flurry of activity -- and a flurry of frustration.

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