Bosses Who Are Mentally & Emotionally Incompetent Usually Say 6 Phrases In Casual Conversation
Yan Krukau | Canva A boss can make or break an office environment. Having a mentally & emotionally incompetent boss creates unnecessary work, undue stress, and an overall uncomfortable atmosphere — so much so that 82% of American workers say that they would potentially quit a job because of an incompetent boss.
Sometimes, however, these incompetent bosses are difficult to spot. They hide behind better workers, never taking the blame for missteps or acknowledging their inadequacies. Yet, according to Cecilia DiLello, @corporatedropout_mom on TikTok, these managers tend to use a few distinct phrases in casual conversation, making them possible to detect.
Mentally and emotionally incompetent bosses usually say these phrases casually:
1. 'Be resourceful'
Whenever you ask for help, you are simply told to be resourceful. If you ask for recommended resources, you never get a clear or helpful answer. "'Be more resourceful'" is code for your manager doesn’t know how to help," DiLello explained.
Your manager's job is to manage you, so if you need any help, they're actually supposed to provide some. Yet many mentally & emotionally incompetent bosses have not learned this crucial lesson.
2. 'It is what it is'
Ah yes, the two seconds your manager decides to become a waxing philosopher are when you bring up a problem in the workplace. How convenient. This repetitive response gets nothing solved and allows these mentally & emotionally incompetent bosses to not feel an ounce of tension.
3. 'Did you prioritize?'
After assigning you so many "urgent" tasks that you can't think straight, you are told to prioritize. Prioritize what exactly? How can any prioritizing be done if every task assigned is allegedly urgent (hint: they're not)?
4. 'Stay in your lane'
When reaching out with concerns, or even potential improvements, you're told to "stay in your lane" — otherwise known as "know your place" or "mind your business." This phrase makes it clear that your manager does not value your voice or opinion.
"It breaks their spirit; and it leaves the company with either an underproductive, unmotivated worker-bee or an empty seat," Steve Stauning wrote in his book, The 30,000-Pound Gorilla in the Room: The 212 Most Annoying Business Phrases Managers Effuse, Confuse and Overuse.
5. 'You need to complete task trackers'
"Team has way too much work … time to prioritize and do task trackers," DiLello joked about this phrase that mentally & emotionally incompetent bosses often use. When you're already feeling overworked and underappreciated, task trackers are the likely last thing you want to do. While they are intended to improve productivity and help employees stick to deadlines, they just add yet another thing to your already full plate.
6. 'Be resilient'
Resilience is a trait we should all aspire to have. However, in this case, "Be resilient means things are never going to change," DiLello claimed. Mentally & emotionally incompetent bosses who throw this phrase at you are trying to get you to work harder so they can work less.
If you're off being resilient with whatever issue has been thrown at you, there's nothing left for them to do. They don't have to fix any problems if you're willing to persevere.
Sahlah Syeda is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.
