Stephen Miller's alleged management style is nothing like what experts tell you about how to be a good boss

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Stephen Miller's alleged management style is nothing like what experts tell you about how to be a good boss
Stephen Miller

Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

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White House senior advisor Stephen Miller listens as President Donald Trump talks during a law enforcement roundtable on sanctuary cities in the Roosevelt Room.

  • Stephen Miller is one of Donald Trump's foremost advisors when it comes to immigration policy.
  • A recent profile from The New Yorker gave an inside look into his management style. But many of his reported management approaches go against researchers' suggestions of how to be a good boss.
  • Here are five things to avoid when it comes to management.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Stephen Miller, a senior advisor to Donald Trump who orchestrated much of the White House's immigration policy, has a management style known for its harshness, according to a new report.

A profile of Miller by Jonathan Blitzer in The New Yorker Friday reports on Miller's style of management where he allegedly berates, interrupts, and disregards officials, particularly those of lower-rank, creating an environment in which people hide things from him to avoid his wrath.

These approaches of dealing with people contradict what research and experts say about being a good boss.

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"You go into meetings with Miller and try to get out with as little damage as possible," a former administration official told The New Yorker.

Here are the five biggest behaviors to avoid when it comes to management style.

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1. Berating employees

1. Berating employees

Employees' performance and improvement are essential with any job, but when managers harshly antagonize employees for their work, it can take a toll.

Miller reportedly lashed out at officials when they failed or didn't meet his expectations, which produced an environment of anxiety within the White House.

According to The New Yorker, after a meeting with Departments of Homeland Security, State, and Justice, Miller said, "I didn't mean to come across as harsh. It's just that this is all I care about. I don't have a family. I don't have anything else. This is my life.'"

Even if work takes over your life, treating employees with respect will propel you and your employees further ahead.

2. Not listening

2. Not listening

Miller reportedly interrupted, questioned, then cut off the answers officials gave during the meeting with Departments of Homeland Security, State, and Justice.

When it comes to management, disregarding others indicates a lack of value for their ideas, expertise, opinions, and needs.

Not only does not listening appear disrespectful, it can stifle creativity.

A study from the King's Business School at King's College London and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem showed that managers can help boost creativity when they truly listen to their employees.

"When an employee feels listened to, it enhances their sense of psychological safety," writes Dr. Dotan Castro at Hebrew University's Federmann School of Public Policy and Government. "It may be that this boosts creativity because they can focus more on the creative task; they aren't wasting mental energy on making micro-calculations about how their manager might respond to what they are saying."

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3. Lacking openness and transparency

3. Lacking openness and transparency

Openness and transparency help create a healthier and more productive work environment.

When a manager or boss sets expectations that are clear and provides an open line of communication, employees can more easily meet those expectations and deal with challenges along the way.

In a Harvard Business School interview, Professor Amy C. Edmondson, a professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard, said directness and candor are key elements to create a healthy and more productive work environment.

"Individuals feel they can speak up, express their concerns, and be heard. This is not to say that people are 'nice,'" Edmondson said. "A psychologically safe workplace is one where people are not full of fear, and not trying to cover their tracks to avoid being embarrassed or punished."

Fear and hiding under Miller's management often resulted from a lack of transparency and openness, according to the report.

4. Thinking you are always right

4. Thinking you are always right

Nobody is perfect.

Lexi Reese, the COO of Gusto and a former Googler, explained that being a good leader means acknowledging you're human.

When a supervisor shows employees they are willing to own up to their own mistakes and move past them, they help build a network of trust and a mindset of growth.

"Admitting to mistakes sends a message to your employees that it's a safe environment to take smart risks — and without that, you're sapping innovation," Taylor said.

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5. Unpredictability

5. Unpredictability

A boss who is unfair might be stressful, but a study by The Academy of Management shows that bosses who act out unfairly in unpredictable ways are worse for employees' well-being.

Researchers surveyed 100 employees for three-weeks across different industries and found reliable managers helped create a more stable environment for employees, because consistency, even when negative, was less exhausting for employees than erratic behavior.

In the White House, Miller's reported unpredictability further fueled a tense atmosphere among White House staff members, especially when it came to his emotional responses.

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