SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Bad bosses beware. Cringeworthy interactions between managers and employees are all over social media platforms - maybe not always to shame, but to encourage better behavior, like BJ Leiderman writing our theme music. Colorado Public Radio's Ryan Warner has this profile of the leadership coach behind this.
RYAN WARNER, BYLINE: After a successful career in the public and private sectors, George Stern began sharing leadership tips about a year ago.
GEORGE STERN: I was posting management advice and infographics on LinkedIn. And I started getting these DMs from folks saying, love your content. But, you know, I've got this situation. Can you help me figure out how to handle it? And I thought, you know what? People should probably hear this too.
WARNER: Now millions watch across Stern's social media as he shares stories of employees contacted on their wedding day, vacation approval rescinded and this text exchange. Stern reads the back-and-forth.
STERN: (Reading) My grandmother passed away last night. I'll be taking bereavement leave this week. At the airport now.
(Reading) When you say the week - a funeral's only one day, though, right?
(Reading) The funeral is one day. The traveling and supporting my mom is the week.
WARNER: It gets worse. The boss asks for proof, wonders if grandma qualifies as immediate family, asks about a looming presentation.
STERN: (Reading) Could you dial into the pitch from Ohio?
(Reading) I'll be at a wake. No. Boarding now. Deaths are famously inconsiderate about pitch schedules.
WARNER: Stern, a former Colorado election clerk and former CEO, roots for workers with boundaries and points managers in a better direction.
STERN: The lesson in all of this, if you want to be a good boss, is be a good human being or don't be a jerk. We're talking about basic humanity here. Managing is hard, and people know it's hard. They're going to give you grace. They're going to forgive you. You just have to communicate well. You have to treat people well. Don't be a jerk. That's what it comes down to.
WARNER: Stern asks for receipts, screenshots and, before posting, probes further with the sender. But the ultimate confirmation he's on to something? The response.
STERN: I have yet to post a video that didn't have dozens of comments and DMs saying, the same exact thing has happened to me.
WARNER: Stern stresses empathy and extends that to managers, who perhaps were promoted but never trained, who may be under pressure from above. He anonymizes his posts, omitting names and companies.
STERN: Almost no one wants to be a bad boss. No one wakes up every morning and thinks, I want to destroy someone's career today. Let's see how I can bring people down and make them feel small.
WARNER: But if that is your deal or your effect, look out for George Stern.
For NPR News, I'm Ryan Warner in Denver.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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