Most “bad bosses” aren’t villains, they’re undertrained. Joel Hilchey said it better: “Most bad bosses are good people with bad advice.” In credit unions, that shows up as organizational ADHD; priorities shift and people guess. I’ve been that boss before. Here are the three fixes I’m using now.
- Be a lighthouse, not a disco ball. Consistent direction beats scattered activity.
- Be a hassle-breaker, not a hassle-maker. Remove friction for your team.
- Calendar the four leadership functions. Protect time for people, not just projects.
🎧 Listen now: 6.5 Habits of Bad Bosses
Tip: Jump to the “lighthouse” segment and the “how you want to be remembered” close (near the end) for the language that anchors these fixes.
1. Be a lighthouse, not a disco ball
I led service and sales training for a credit union one month after they launched a community outreach project. At the end of the workshop, the team told me a new initiative would start next week. This caused what I call “Priority whiplash.” Being the lighthouse means holding a steady signal: why, what, and what not, so your team isn’t chasing shiny objects. Joel’s cue helped: keep annual goals to three buckets max. Subtasks are fine, but they must fit those buckets.
Listen at [31:10] for the three-bucket test.
2. Be a hassle-breaker, not a hassle-maker
Accidental bosses expect the team to make the boss’s job easier. Effective bosses make the team’s job easier. Joel shared a story: a team was unproductive from 1–2 p.m. because sun glare made screens unreadable. One small facilities fix changed output. Hassle-breakers remove friction: shorten approvals, clarify owners, fix tools, and protect focus time.
Jump to [34:00] for the hassle-breaker example.
3. Calendar the four leadership functions
Here’s how I’m calendaring the four functions, so they actually happen:
- People development: monthly 15-minute coaching 1:1s (progress, “catch them doing it right,” set SMART next steps).
- Team dynamics: monthly quick pulse using the GROW model (Get to know each other, Realize what’s not working, Organize, Work together) to choose the right support or direction.
- Strategy: quarterly thinking time about 30 minutes to check mission, metrics, and refine the plan.
- Project management: Weekly. delegate work that grows people; run weekly check-ins for updates and guidance.
At [30:30], Joel shows a simple structure for protecting this time.
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