To minimize the bad boss syndrome, organizations should follow the 5×10 rule of people leadership. The rule says team leaders should have no more than 5 direct reports and should spend at least 10% of their time on each team member.
5 People Each at 10% of Time
A good people leader invests about 10% of their time on each direct report. If the leader has more than 5 direct reports, this means spending more than 50% of their time leading their team. As a result, the leader has less than half of their time for their own work.
Why 10% Per Direct Report?
Some of my clients question the 10% of time per direct report. The issue is this seems like a great deal of time. Yet, when reminded this 10%, based on a 40 hour work week, is only 4 hours, it seems less substantial. This also includes everything:
- One-on-one meetings
- Clearing obstacles
- Professional development
- Routine communications and more
In most cases, the reality is people leaders don’t realize how much time they actually spend – or should spend – on each direct report.
If you show me a bad boss, I bet there is a good chance that boss is out of balance on the 5×10 rule. To be certain, there may be occasions and periods where leaders need to break this rule. However, exceeding 5 direct reports should be the exception, not the rule.
Is the 5×10 rule practiced at your organization?