There are very few aggressive (Attila the Hun) bosses left.  Their ranks have been thinned by sensitivity training, executive coaching and Dr. Phil reruns.
            There is, on the other hand, a growing, bumper-crop of passive leaders.  These are management staff who have learned life at work is just a little easier and less stressful if you wink and nod at difficult decisions, people and processes.  “They don’t pay me enough to deal with that….” seems to be the new management mantra.
            Specifically, if you want to know if your boss has become a passive leader, answer these questions:  (1) Does your boss do a lot of “blaming” when there is a familiar problem that just keeps reappearing?  (2) Does your boss procrastinate when deciding difficult decisions, choosing to let time and circumstances make the choice?  (3)  Does your boss avoid interpersonal conflict among your coworkers?  (4) Does your boss regularly remind you and your colleagues, “I told you this would happen”?  (5)  Does your boss often say, “I will have to think about that…” but the “thinking” goes on for eons?,  (6) Does your boss have a history of getting excited about “a new strategic direction” that normally disappears faster than a Ben and Jerry’s Double Malt Cookie Dough ice cream cone on a hot July afternoon? (7) Does your boss “outsource” disciplinary issues to HR because he/she is convinced this department is being paid to deal with the yucky-people-stuff at work?
            If your answer to the majority of those questions was “yes,” passivity may be your manager’s middle name.
            This would be a great place to end the article.  We have blamed, condemned and sentenced your boss…and joined the ranks of Passive America.
No, there is another question that needs an answer, “What will you do to effectively work with your passive boss?”  We have to accept “fixing” your boss is probably not a good use of your time or energy.  Your manager’s passivity is now your business.
So, what are the coping strategies open to you?
            First, craft a linguistic agreement with your boss that puts you in the driver’s seat.  It works this way.
            When you know there will be endless delay about a pending decision, say to your boss, “Here are the two options I think are open to us.  Which of these do you think we should pursue?”
            If that question does not result in a decision, try this, “I am in favor of the second option.  I am ready to act on this option next Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. unless I hear something different from you.  Is this date and time acceptable to you?”
            Notice, the value of this first option is…silence will make the decision.
            Second, when your boss starts “blaming,” immediately say, “Yes, we have a problem and I am convinced we now have a decision.  Here is what I think we need to do. Does my recommendation make sense to you?”
            The intent of this second intervention is to get into warp speed to zoom right past the blaming and hone-in on a decision.  Frankly, your boss needs your leadership right now.  Frame your response with a decision.  Do not wait for “permission” to craft a definitive position.

            Third, when you are in a meeting with your boss and he/she breaks out in unbridled enthusiasm for a specific project/direction, always make sure you state, “I really like the direction we are taking.  Help me understand the sequential steps all of us need to take to see this new initiative succeed.”
You may even want to move to a whiteboard or a flipchart and begin to write down the actions, not feelings, to secure success.
Finally, when you boss is getting ready to dial 911 for HR to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on some workplace victim involved in an interpersonal toxic spill, stop the panic and passivity by asking this question, “Isn’t it true we have more options to correct this situation if we deal with it inside these walls?”
Your boss has to be sold on the advantages of assertively addressing the malady that is within the team.  When you start to bring in “hired guns,” you lose control of the situation.