As the owner and operator of your business, you may have pondered the question, “What makes a great boss?” Great bosses possess several key characteristics that set them apart. The team at Optimum Employer Solutions, an HR outsourcing company, has compiled a list of the top qualities that define a great boss from the perspective of their employees:
Wear Your Emotions on Your Sleeve – Great bosses are both highly professional and openly human. They strive to show sincere excitement when things are going well. They also show sincere appreciation for hard work put in by their employees. In contrast, they also show sincere disappointment, not in others but in themselves. Know that you can be professional while also celebrating and empathizing with your workers. Be direct, but sensitive. You can achieve this by valuing communication. If you see that an employee is not performing at the right level, speak with him or her in private. Do not dodge the truth.
Set Clear Expectations – As a great boss, you should sit down with a new employee from the start and identify the priorities you wish them to accomplish. Later, discuss these goals during regular meetings and in the performance review. You don’t need to tell your employees how to get the work done. Rather, talk about outcomes and results and trust them to execute the details.
Coach – You should view your position as both leader and coach. You want to lead your players while also educating and encouraging them. You should not assume your employees know what to do or how to accomplish it. Rather than running the game, throw out plays and let your employees take charge.
Offer Feedback – Do not wait until the formal performance review to give feedback to your employees. Instead, give them feedback along the way to better establish the coach-player relationship. When you wait until the performance evaluation to offer negative feedback, your employee will likely ask themselves why you did not mention this before so they could make a change.
Protect Your Employees From the Bus – While terrible bosses throw their employees under the bus, great bosses protect their employees from it. As a great boss, you should see the bus coming and pull your employee out of the way. If you have to take the hit, be sure to speak with your employee in private about it.
Recognize Effort – All great bosses know that employees need to feel appreciated. Nothing works better than positive reinforcement, so use it to encourage and promote your employees in the workplace. For example, at your staff meeting be sure to point out some of the great things you have seen your employees do. This will not only reinforce these positive actions with the employees that performed them but also encourage other employees to do the same.
Get to Know Your Employees – Though you are the boss, it is important that you are still human. Take time to stop and speak with your employees. Say hello when you pass in the hall or stop by on your way out to say goodnight. You should also make yourself available. If your employees feel that you are approachable, you are far more likely to hear about issues that have arisen and be able to take care of them before they get out of hand or create a serious problem. Employees who feel like their boss is caring and interested in them as people are far more committed to their work and will strive to do a better job.
To be the best boss you can be, follow these simple guidelines: always be the boss that you would want as an employee.
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