We have discussed the negative impact of authoritarian sales leadership in previous posts because of its negative impact on performance. Democratic or egalitarian leaders lead elite, high-performing sales teams.

Workplace Bullying

According to WBI – The Workplace Bullying Institute’s 2014 national survey, the number of workers affected by workplace bullying is estimated to be over 65 million. “Bosses” do most of the bullying – 55%, followed by co-workers, 33%, who in many cases exhibit abusive behavior because they see the behavior, when left unchecked, as a trait the organization endorses.

Sales teams suffer more than others under authoritarian leadership. If used for a sustained period, this leadership style has been found to create a destructive culture, especially in situations defined by close contact and interrelated goal attainment, such as the sales manager-salesperson relationship.

Dysfunctional Organizational Behavior

Let’s be clear: we are talking about dysfunctional organizational behavior. Bennett J Tepper describes this condition in his research, Consequences of Abusive Supervision, as” subordinates’ perceptions of the extent to which supervisors engage in the sustained display of hostile verbal and nonverbal behaviors, excluding physical contact.” In his definition, Tepper points out that sustained indicates that the manager’s actions are not rare but are likely to continue until victims terminate relationships or their abuser change conduct.

The behaviors that subordinates believe to be abusive have been described as follows:

• Unfriendly
• Antagonistic
• Intimidating and
• Upsetting

Examples include:

• Playing favorites
• Using the silent treatment
• Requiring subordinates to complete unrelated and repulsive tasks as punishment
• Threatening Job loss or other adverse outcomes
• Blurring lines between personal and professional deportment in criticisms
• Public humiliation in front of peers
• Constantly finding fault with the work product
• Telling lies about subordinates

Impact of Sales Teams

The impact of abusive, authoritarian leaders is double-edged – for both the sales leader and the salesperson. The research is detailed. Both suffer from low job satisfaction and organizational commitment, resulting in lower performance. More troubling is the abusive leadership’s impact on your best sales team members. These are salespeople who derive “meaning” from their work. Meaning is the strongest predictor of workplace outcomes. Additionally, when salespeople experience abuse from their leaders, they may question their worth and ability, leading to a decline in self-esteem and self-confidence. This can further impact their job performance, as they may struggle to communicate effectively with customers, meet sales targets, and take on new challenges.

Steps to Eliminate Abusive Leadership

Here are a few steps you can take to eliminate abusive leadership in your organization:

• Look in the mirror
  Much of what followers practice is first observed. Moreover, most abusive, authoritarian sales leaders worked for offensive, authoritarian leaders earlier in their careers. If you are a dictatorial leader, you are “modeling” the behavior of your subordinate leaders.
• Don’t tolerate an abusive company culture
  The WBI research is clear – many organizations turn a blind eye to abusive, authoritarian leaders believing that it is helpful to the bottom line or that they have “preferred motivational styles.” Don’t kid yourself. Abuse and authoritarianism kill performance.
• Seek help
  Seeking outside professionals for the abuser and abused help may be a way to keep capable people.
• Reward sales leaders for being mindful
  Encourage organizational mindfulness through personal development programs.
• This one is for the sales team member – Retaliate – Yes Retaliate

A study by Bennett Tepper, The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business, found that employees with hostile bosses were better off on several measures if they returned the hostility. Tepper said, “..the message from these findings shouldn’t be that employees should automatically retaliate against a horrible boss. The real answer is to get rid of hostile bosses.”