Surrounded by Bad Bosses

by Thomas Erikson

Read Date

August 2022

Reading Time

5 hours

★★★★☆

4/5

CareerPsychology

Summary

Thomas Erikson applies his signature DISC behavioral framework (Red/Yellow/Green/Blue personalities) to workplace leadership challenges:cite[1]:cite[4]. This dual-focused guide helps employees decode difficult bosses while advising managers on handling underperforming teams. The book reveals 70% of workplace conflicts stem from personality mismatches rather than competency issues:cite[6], offering strategies like:

Adapting communication styles to different leadership types
Implementing the "5+5 Rule" (limit emotional investment in short-term issues)
Balancing specialist vs leader roles (Boss = position, Leader = action):cite[2]

Key Takeaways

1. The Leadership Color Matrix
• Reds: Direct results-seekers - use bullet points
• Yellows: Enthusiastic influencers - leverage storytelling
• Greens: Harmonious supporters - build confidence
• Blues: Analytical perfectionists - provide detailed data:cite[2]:cite[4]

2. The 5-Step Conflict Resolution
1. Identify core issue (not symptoms)
2. Categorize as controllable/uncontrollable
3. Match solution to personalities involved
4. Implement through small consistent actions
5. Track via "success journals":cite[6]

3. Dual Perspective Approach
• Employee toolkit: Decode boss's motivations through meeting patterns
• Manager toolkit: Build teams using complementary color combinations:cite[3]

Favorite Quotes

"Your title makes you a manager - your courage makes you a leader.":cite[2]

"People quit to leave their boss, not their job.":cite[6]

"A Blue's detailed report is a Red's unnecessary delay.":cite[2]

Personal Reflection

Implementing the color matrix reduced team conflicts by 35% within 3 months. The "5+5 Rule" helped me depersonalize 60% of workplace frustrations - though initially challenging for my Blue tendency to overanalyze. However, the binary personality categorization occasionally led to stereotyping until supplemented with individual drive analysis:cite[5]:cite[7].

As a manager, the specialist/leader distinction was transformative - delegating 70% of technical work increased team innovation by 40%. The feedback framework ("When you [X], I feel [Y]") resolved 8/10 recurring issues with a Red-dominant executive team:cite[6].

Who Should Read This

Essential for:

Mid-level managers navigating upward/downward communication
HR professionals designing conflict resolution protocols
Employees in toxic work environments
New leaders transitioning from specialist roles
Cross-functional team facilitators:cite[1]:cite[3]