Good Manager, Bad Manager

Years ago, I worked for one of the best managers I have ever worked for. Here is why I say that: He listened to what his employees had to say and he worked on finding a way to create balance with that information. The fact that he actually listened to what we said was crucial to me as a woman. It is important for us females to be heard. (This is an important tip, by the way.)

A year and a half later, that manager got a promotion and a new manager was brought in. He was one of the worst managers I have ever worked for. He didn't take the time to listen to any of us, he insisted that he was always right – even when it was blatantly clear that he wasn't, and he would dismiss us with no further conversation. He always seemed to be working against his employees instead of with them or for them. He would go to upper management when he was having an issue instead of handling it himself.

Now, I have heard this same story over and over from many different people. So my question is why do companies not train their management with soft-skills, such as dealing effectively with their employees? That's not fair, I know, because many companies actually do have that kind of training. So, what do we do about the companies who do not offer the training and have inappropriately behaving managers?

Let's get to the bottom of this.