Michelle Gibbings - Bad Boss

Don't let the title fool you, this is not a bag the boss book'; far from it. What stood out for me was the emphasis on relationships at all levels and the personal responsibility each of us must take to make any relationship work. Filled with insights, practical tips, real life stories and timeout questions, Michelle encourages reflection, personal assessment and improvement planning as well as the honesty to consider if it may be time to explore alternate options.

As a Leader or Leader of Leaders, there are important reminders of the privilege and responsibilities held to support and coach others reach their individual or leadership potential, as well as the personal reminder that Leaders never stop needing to develop themselves, reflect and potentially change to get the best out of others.

A book I am sure you will continue to pick up, review based on point-in-time situations, and take ongoing tips from for years to come.

Helene Gordon, Executive General Manager, People and Communications, Sensis

Bad bosses come at a huge cost for people and productivity, and are a staple of everyday conversation. Yet our conversation about bad bosses often takes the form of blame and externalising if only other people behaved better!' Michelle Gibbings' new book, Bad Boss, holds us accountable for how we are all part of the problem whether we report to a bad boss, manage a bad boss, or are a bad boss and restores our agency in fixing the problem. This is a book full of insight, compassion and practical suggestions for managing your career, your organisation and yourself.

Professor Michael Gilding, Pro Vice Chancellor, Faculty of Business and Law, Swinburne University of Technology

Michelle has again delivered a must-read' for both leaders and followers of today and tomorrow. There is a huge dose of honesty in this book that is peppered with humour, grounded with stories and thought starters, and filled with wads of common sense. It will challenge you to be better, think differently and own your actions and reactions. It is indeed a book about hope.

Angela Green, Financial Services Executive

We can all relate to stories about a bad boss, but what about when we've been the bad boss? If you have the courage to examine your own blind spots and are driven to change, Michelle's latest book will help you become a better leader.

Julia van Graas, Co-founder, Spiique

Being a follower and having a boss, being a boss, and the boss of bosses are all transformative stages in a potential leadership journey. Michelle's insights will help you to create a roadmap for your transformation into exercising better leadership!

Samantha Sharp, Director of Commissioning and Performance, Western Victoria Primary Health Network

We've all worked for one, we may have had one working for us and if we are brave enough to admit it, we've all been one ourselves from time to time. Yes, you know them, the Bad Boss. At its heart this book is about hope and bravery and a must read for anyone who wants to own their journey in developing themselves as a great leader. Michelle expertly sets out easy to implement actions for leaders at any level to apply at any time to turn a bad boss situation into a best boss situation. Michelle's book is packed with advice, anecdotes, and leadership stories that will inspire you to have real conversations, develop and nurture real relationships and be your real you. This is a book that I will refer back to time and again over my leadership journey.

Claire Cornfield, General ManagerOperations, HESTA

Increased day-to-day pressures, longer hours and the challenge of maintaining a positive, diverse workplace are the new norms experienced by employees at any level. Success is achieved through being the best you' at work, decisive career development and growing through personal experience to deliver impact. However, this only relates to personal performance. The greater challenge relates to how this translates to the value created by those around you.

The real beauty in Bad Boss is that it gives us all the opportunity to turn the mirror on ourselves to assess and challenge ourselves as a leader. Filled with stories, challenging questions and conversation starters, Bad Boss allows us to step in the shoes of others in our organisation to consider leadership from different perspectives.

In Bad Boss, Michelle provides a comprehensive toolkit to build awareness of personal success drivers, but also fashion shifts and adjustments to create cohesive, high-performing teams that multiply value creation and increase engagement. As in her previous books, Michelle does this in an easy to follow, relatable and intuitive way, applicable to almost any relationship-driven workplace challenge.

Richard Benjamin, Group DirectorStrategy, Urbis

It's a familiar saying that people don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses'. If you have ever complained or thought about leaving your job because of your boss or have a sneaking suspicion that maybe you are a bad boss or could be a better boss, then this is the book for you.

Michelle's book, Bad Boss, is a wonderfully astute and practical guide in helping to deal with or improve your relationship with your boss. Along the way, you may also find some insights about yourself and what you want to achieve. I know that I did.

Jenny Macdonald, Non-Executive Director

Early in my career whilst an employee of a major Australian bank, I asked the CEO at the time What makes a great leader?'. He responded with Great followers'. As simple as this sounded it is something that resonated with me. Great teams are developed and influenced by authentic and nurturing leaders. Team members follow the leader not because they have to, but because they want to.

In this book, Michelle clearly identifies aspects and traits of what differentiates a good boss from a bad boss. There are some wonderful insights, and time outs' which encourage and enable introspection to assist readers to identify what role they can play in assisting a bad boss if they work for one, how they might better influence and coach a bad boss if they manage one, or open their eyes and mindset to understand and determine if they are in fact a bad boss.

Working through this book it became clear to me that through my leadership journey I have found myself in all three situations. If I had access then to the tips and tools in this book, the change required in all instances would have been far easier to navigate. If you are prepared to invest the time and effort to reflect, seek feedback and take action then the outcomes detailed in this book are well within reach.

Robert Ford, Chief Executive Officer,
Victorian Leaders

As our individual relationships to work keep changing, our relationships with the people at work remains key to our well-being and our performance. It's no surprise that for most employees their most important professional relationship is with their boss. Through this deft collection of frameworks and insights, Michelle provides a powerful challenge to take ownership of how we relate to each other on a human level with humility and authenticity. Her personal reflections on how she's refocussed her own approach provides a wonderfully simple message of hope for how we can evolve our relationships in the workplace I built lasting friendships and connections that enabled us to do more and be more'.

Daniel Madhavan, Chief Executive Officer,
Impact Investment Group

In the corporate world, leaders often feel powerless either working for a bad boss or as an ineffective leader. Michelle's book provides an excellent framework to help navigate a pathway to positively change the situation you may be in, whether you are early in your career or a senior executive.