What makes a good boss good? Ask this
question to more than one person, and you are bound to get different
responses. However, there are a number of skills, strategies, and
attitudes that are common to all good bosses.
Here are five "good boss" behaviors
taken from my book, How to Manage Unacceptable Employee Behavior:
A Guide to Creating Cooperation, Restoring Productivity and Getting
Positive Results.
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Act Consistently
Employees expect managers to treat
everyone fairly. Don't confuse treating everyone fairly with
treating everyone the same, because that's not possible.
Treating everyone fairly means acting consistently and applying
flexibility with everyone. For example, if you bend the rules
for one employee due to a special situation, you must act
consistently when a similar situation occurs with a different
employee. This creates a perception of fairness and not a
perception of favoritism.
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Answer the "Why"
Questions
When
employees don't know what to do or why they should do it, the
manager is at fault. Your job is to help employees understand
the big picture and how their job fits into the larger goals of
the organization. Show them why their tasks are important.
Employees want to know how their actions make a difference. Do
your employees understand why it is important to do their jobs
correctly?
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Make a Connection
Managing people is about
connecting with people. To get employees to commit and
contribute their best, managers must engage their hearts. That
means showing concern for them, listening to their ideas and
opinions, involving them in solving problems, and letting them
know that they are important. Face it, without people, even the
best-laid plans are ineffective.
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Praise Progress
Praise is the most effective
form of feedback and a powerful motivator. Employees want to be
recognized when they do something well, not only when their
performance is worse than expected. Make a habit of recognizing
what employees do right -- recognize positive performance, hard
work, and improvement. Reinforced behavior becomes repeated
behavior. The more you praise the good, the more good your
employees will do.
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Leave No Room For
Surprises
For
many managers, performance discussions take place once a year.
This is a big mistake. Why? Because successful appraisals
involve on-going dialogue. Start with clear goals and
expectations, provide constructive feedback along the way, and
end with a two-way conversation about results. Keep your
feedback consistent with what you have said all year. When the
performance appraisal differs from previous feedback, it's a
contradiction. And employees will not only be surprised, but
they will resist accountability, argue with your feedback, and
resent the review process.
Great leaders are made, not born.
To develop your leadership potential, attend management classes and
seminars, read books on effective leadership, and hire a coach to
help you push your limits.
