13 Signs You’re a Good—Or Bad—Boss
Good bosses know the key to content employees.
In a word, “respect.” It tops the list of factors that are key for employee job satisfaction, beating out pay (#2) and benefits (#3), per the latest annual report from The Society for Human Resource Management. As conventional corporate wisdom goes, “People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers.” The basics of respect haven’t changed since you learned them in kindergarten: listen, mind your manners, be considerate, play fair, and keep your promises.
Bad bosses hover like helicopters.
“It’s not about you telling staffers how to do something, but establishing the end point and letting them create the best process to get there,” says Rieva Lesonsky, CEO and President of GrowBiz Media and Small Biz Daily. Walk a staffer through a process once if necessary, then let them have at it. Having ownership over a task makes employees want to ace it.
Good bosses are both coach and cheerleader.
"Bosses should view themselves as having a support role, not just a leadership one,” says Matt Heller of Performance Optimist Consulting. “If you help those around you succeed, you’ll also succeed.” Encouraging managers don’t just have an open-door policy—they mentor, taking time to share what they’ve learned from their experiences. They also make it clear that failureis an option experts say that employees feel most comfortable and safe in an environment where they are allowed to make mistakes, which encourages out-of-the-box thinking and innovation.
Bad bosses don't check in on employees' progress.
Every boss tells new hires what they expect them to achieve. But not following up on responsibilities and progress throughout the year is both a boss and company fail. Gallup research finds that employees who are most vested in their jobs say their managers set performance goals and hold them acｃountable.
Good bosses give props year round.
“Don’t save feedback for official performance reviews,” says Lesonsky. “Regularly let people know when they’ve done something right.” She recommends giving staffers occasional rewards that motivate them one person might appreciate attending a workshop, another might be more into an afternoon off after turning in a major project. And don’t underestimate the impact of simple gestures, adds Lesonsky: “Public praise, a sincere ‘thank you’ or a nice note are all effective.”
Bad bosses neglect to connect.
Quickie emails and pings may get the job done, but they’re not usually motivation central. Actual meetings, whether in person, over the phone, or electronic, can be seriously galvanizing Gallup research finds that employees whose managers hold regular meetings with them are three times as likely to be engaged as staffers whose bosses don’t. Face time: It works.
Good bosses don't hold a kajillion meetings a week.
The opposite of the AWOL boss: the meeting-happy one, another job hazard. Your crew needs time not just to actually do their work but to plan, create, and imagine. Daydreaming can actually be very productive: In the book Creative Confidence, innovation experts Tom Kelley and David Kelley note how our minds “make unlikely connections between ideas, memories, and experiences” when we are not focusing on a task or project.
Bad bosses avoid criticism.
“If an employee is doing something wrong, you’re not doing them or your business any favors by failing to handle the situation,” says Lesonsky. To make criticism easier on both you and the staffer, rope the employee into problem solving, she continues: “When you treat people with respect and ask them to be a partner in coming up with a solution, they’ll be more invested in making that solution work.” Chris Reimer, author of Happywork, offers this strategy for critiquing: “See/think/wonder.” As in, “I see that you put in a tremendous amount of effort on this project. I think we have some room for improvement. I wonder if we could try “XYZ” method next time.”
Good bosses give employees freedom.
“Face it: A company will never go out of business because an employee left work early to take care of their sick child,” says Reimer. “A ‘Family comes first, job comes second’ outlook on life is not an insult to your leadership, nor the business. Jobs come and go, but family is forever.” That same approach should apply to all staffers, parents or not, who might need to duck out early for big-deal events, like a charity run or a child’s recital. Bonus: Research shows that workplaces with flexibility also have healthier employees.
Bad bosses are all business, all the time.
Employees consistently say in surveys that they want managers who truly care for them it motivates them to work harder. So take an interest in your staffers lives walking around on Monday morning to ask how people’s weekends were can set the tone for the week. Just don’t fall into the trap of trying to be your team’s BFF (Boss Friend Forever). Exhibit A: The Office’s Michael Scott, who once said, “Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.” The ideal is striking a balance of being liked and respected.
Bad bosses don't like to hire people smarter than they are.
Obviously, you want to shine on the job—but you also want to have stars working for you, says Reimer: “Team building requires hiring for the skills a boss doesn't possess.” A strong and effective boss, he continues, knows what he doesn’t know and hires people to fill that gap. This not only makes your team stronger, it boosts your profile in the company developing leaders makes you look good.
Good bosses make it a team thing.
The people you manage want to feel like they’re members of the hive, not worker bees. Fostering that team-spirit vibe can be as simple as making sure that everyone has a chance to be heard in meetings, says Lesonsky. Business pros point to fostering a kill-the-competition mentality “Beat Coke” was the motto of one Pepsi CEO.
Good bosses don't expect 24/7 employees.
When you feel the urgent need to let an employee know something late at night or over the weekend, either because you want to get it out of your overflowing head or you don’t want to forget it, try Reimer’s tactic: Compose an email, then use the program’s scheduled-send feature to have it go out in the morning or Monday morning.
Article Source: http://www.glamour.com/gallery/13-signs-youre-a-goodor-badboss
Image Source: http://blogs-images.forbes.com/kateharrison/files/2013/02/good_bad.jpg?width=960
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Hover (v.) ~ to keep lingering about wait near at hand
2. Out-of-the-box (idiom) ~ to think freely, not bound by old, nonfunctional, or limiting structures, rules, or practices
3. Vest (v.) ~ to invest or endow (a person or group) with something, such as power or rights
4. Recital (n.) ~ the performance of a program of music by a solo instrumentalist or singer or by a small group
5. Foster (v.) ~ to encourage or promote the development of (something, typically something regarded as good)
6. Tactic (n.) ~ an action or strategy carefully planned to achieve a specific end
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. In your opinion, should a boss be feared or be loved? Explain your answer.
2. What is your description of a good boss? Of a bad boss?
3. Let’s discuss some of the points given above briefly.
