Oh My, I Hate My Job

Dealing With a Waffler Boss

I do enjoy articles that categorize bosses. Sometimes the names are dead on.

Elaine Varelas in her article How to deal with a bad boss has bad boss title worthy of mention. The “Eggo” Boss. The Waffler.

Ever had the boss who would change their minds on a dime? Ever had the boss who’d listen to one side and agree wholeheartedly with them, then listen to the other and do the exact same thing?

That’s today’s target.

The Eggo Boss

The Pros: They listen to each side of the discussion.

The Cons: They are equally swayed by each side of the discussion. They tend to change their mind often and without warning. Their decisions are not decisions but mental status messages like those routinely changing anecdotes on people’s IM accounts.

The learned effects: Employees learn to wait until the last minute to move on projects because they are intelligent beings. Intelligent beings economize their scarce resources: their time, their attention, their energy, and their ability to withstand aggravation. If there is a good chance those resources will be wasted – and this “chance” is born through experience — then employees will economize…they will wait until it’s too late to make changes to start working.

Indirect Effects: Managers feel they are putting out fires all the time because workers put their work off and put important decisions and needs for clarification off until the very last minute.

What does this point to? You can never know, for sure, what’s going on inside people, but with a Waffler, here’s what you might be dealing with…

• Lack of self-esteem. He or she may have no confidence in their ability to make a decision on this, or within their job. They’re most effective tactic to date in dealing with this is being wishy-washy.
• Afraid of making a mistake. Connects with the self-esteem angle. Waffler’s perceive that if they do not make a firm decision then they are not held accountable for the firm results.
• No vision. A Waffler may have nothing to orient around what a good decision would look like. As in, they really don’t know what they want.
• Is unclear on the purpose, the aim, or the goal for the decision. They have not gotten clarification from above. Or they have not comprehended the vision and are afraid of asking for that clarification.
• Inability to weigh likelihood, risks and rewards. A good point on either side is enough to balance out either side.

Solution?

Elaine Varelas makes a good point. Have decisions put in writing.

When something is put in writing it has several advantages.

• It appears solid. Everyone can read it. It exists outside of everyone’s collective heads.
• It leaves a trail of evidence.
• It can promote a clarification conversation based upon the text, not interpretations of others feelings about a discussion.
• It’s an archive of understanding and protection. Often dubbed CYA.

What if they refuse to put it in writing?

Have a sit down. And this will require you to do the thinking for them. Explain to them in detail how their lack of definition produces the havoc that and daily load them down with stress and make their job’s harder. Show them the true cost to them (not you, unless of course they are huge people-pleasers wanting everyone to love them). Show them how a particular lack of decision meant X, Y, Z were: done late, redone, mismanaged, forgotten, dropped, reformulated, reconstructed, lost, slowed down, rushed, and etc…

One last thing. If you’ve done the sit down and done it respectfully fo not expect the Waffler to change over night. You may have to gently remind them. Best if you give them a little positive feedback when they do make a decision and stick with it.

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