Too Many Bosses Means Too Little Time

A Gartner survey found over 66 percent of employees worldwide say they have to consult with multiple bosses to get their jobs done, and nearly as many waste significant time waiting for guidance from senior leaders, reports the Wall Street Journal . Bosses currently manage nine direct reports on average, up from five in 2008, which can spread leaders so thin that they have little idea of what their employees are doing. Only about 35 percent of employees polled by Gartner in 2017 say their manager understands their day-to-day work. "Managers are less likely to provide good feedback and coaching when they don't understand what that employee's workflow is," says Gartner's Brian Kropp. Roxanne Allen, formerly with American Express, notes the modern office environment keeps managers' priorities in flux, and their employees are expected to remain open to fast-changing roles and business needs. "To be perceived as anything else is a career killer," she warns. Allen recommends that "Managers should set clear goals, learn to clearly communicate their priorities, and know the work their employees are performing so that mindless 'never minds' are unnecessary and overloading never happens. Alignment starts at the top." Meanwhile, Babson College Professor Rob Cross says people with deeply rooted identities as high-performing employees are especially vulnerable to collaborative overload.