Black men in the business world

Is there such a thing as black male managers syndrome?

I am a black female. I recently managed an office in my company in the absence of the appointed manager who was on special assignment.

I try to look at people as people--and in my organization, I try especially hard to do this because employees are not always treated fairly. So, I made it a point to personally speak to everybody every day--80 people. I recognized the employees publicly for their work. I believe that you get people to do things when they WANT to do them, and that fear tactics only go so far (witness BushCo).

So as I am transitioning the office back to the new manager, a black man, I am observing. This man, whom I have known for a long time and who is very knowledgeable, has threatened the supervisors several times within the first week. He talks down to the supervisors loudly within earshot of the employees (and I feel caught in as I listen when this happens). He says that he thinks he will not be respected by the employees so he seems to be overcompensating.

He is not the only black man I've seen do this. He and I both used to work in an office that was 90% black. I saw much more of the same thing. The current office is the exact racial opposite--97% white.

Is this just my experience or do SOME black men seem to be much more forceful and demanding than other managers you have worked for?

Sounds like he's just an asshole, which has nothing to do with skin color. If I were you, I'd document the abuse. It may come in real handy someday.