What Makes a Great Boss?

By Marcia Zidle on June 28, 2011

Figuring out how to be a great boss can be difficult especially when you’re managing so many different people.

This is what people have said in my workshops on employee engagement. when asked: “What makes a great boss” – someone who can lead and motivate you?

Seven Principles of Good Supervision

1. Tell me my role and your expectations.
This is not micro-managing. It’s called clear direction. It gives people focus and accountability
2. Give me some autonomy.
Give them something interesting to work on and rust them with this opportunity. That doesn’t mean you give a brand new person the most difficult account; Rather something that will stretch her and not cause major problems.
3. Discipline those who are out of line.
I often hear this: “I wish my boss would tell James that this is just unacceptable.” Letting a “star” employee do whatever he wants really hurts the morale of the team.
4. Recognize and praise what I do.
Everyone wants to be recognized when they’ve done something right. You can motivate employees by highlighting their strengths and not harping on their weaknesses.
5. Don’t lose your temper.
It’s generally not productive and it’s not good leadership. It sets up “kill the messenger” syndrome which means your people will be afraid to tell you critical information.
6. Don’t hide or delay feedback.
Give employees clear and constructive feedback on areas they need to improve or when they go off track. Don’t wait until you are about to fire them. It’s not right and it may not be legal.
7. Set me up to succeed.
Indecisive leaders or those who keep changing direction just frustrate everybody and make people feel defeated. Get me excited. Tell me where we’re going and we’re going to get there and that I have your support.

Management Success Tip:

It’s very easy to get swamped with our daily activities and forget to execute the basic fundamentals of leading others. This is a bad habit and will result in more work and a less productive team. It’s worth reviewing these seven principles weekly to be a great boss.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?