Good bosses vs Bad bosses

Now before I start this article, I need to be open and transparent with you. I have been guilty of being a good boss and a bad boss in the past. I am incredibly proud of my career, but more prouder of the successes I have seen some of my former employees achieve (you know who you are).  

As I have recently launched Cura Global, my immediate focus is to get the business off the ground. This has meant that I am the administrator, marketing consultant, the IT ‘guy’, the salesman and the CEO. But as I start the first stage of hiring fantastic staff around me to grow our business, I have taken a step back to identify the right traits I need to help to not only grow my business, but also to grow a career for a new employee.

Now, bad bosses. Almost everyone has had at least one in their working career! I am sure a few names immediately spring to mind when you think of this! You do not want to be the bad boss in your work environment, the one who causes good employees to cower as you enter the room. Or worse yet, you do not want to be the one who causes good people to leave the company. Speaking from personal experience, I have seen some great people leave businesses, purely because of KPI targets which dont give 'value-add', things like call-times etc. You want to be the type of manager that employees are willing to go the extra mile for. You want to be the Good Boss who nurtures and inspires your team, giving them the confidence to do their jobs well. You want to provide guidance and motivation, while showing integrity and modelling the behaviours you want to see in your team. The one who can add these skills to their workforce, growing them into future leaders of the business. You want to be more than a boss, you want to be a leader. A leader that your team goes into battle for. The leader that inspires others to better themselves.

The Bad boss

I am sure everyone can remember their favourite teacher. For some it was a smiling, gentle high school teacher who always had patience in abundance to help better your grades, or inspires you to think outside the box in a class which you showed little understanding for. Perhaps a Math teacher who made numbers and formulas fun and introduced you to the Pythagorean Theorem.......now who can forget that!

Yes, we have that one – or perhaps more than one – teacher we will never forget. Just as we all have a teacher who stands out for all wrong reasons – too strict, demanding, unfair, unavailable – we have all had, at some point in our working careers, that one boss who stands out as being a really bad boss. Maybe more than one!

He or she managed staff through intimidation, bullying tactics or by general fear and scare mongering. Maybe they were an unapologetic narcissist and thought of no one but themselves. Perhaps they were a poor communicator and an even worse listener.

It has been said that employees do not leave good jobs, they leave bad managers. Or people do not leave bad companies, they leave bad managers. I genuinely think thats true. I have left businesses because of a lack of direction by my seniors, by people whose only focus in the money in their wallet. They dont care about their people. They want to reap the benefits of your hard work. We have all been there at some stage of our careers, and it doesnt matter if you are a trainee or even an MD - it happens at all levels.

Bad managers often make several common mistakes that cause loyal, dedicated staff to leave. A good boss will avoid these mistakes or risk sabotaging staff retention. Examples below:

• Bad bosses are UNREACHABLE. Employees need input from managers from time to time. Staff who cannot count on a timely reply to emails and voicemails may be frustrated and seek greener pastures.
• Bad bosses MICRO-MANAGE. This shows staff that you do not believe they can make good decisions on their own. This is demeaning to employees who want to prove they can shine.
• Bad bosses SHIRK RESPONSIBILITY. Everyone wants a leader who leads, not someone who just occupies the corner office.
• Bad bosses are DISRESPECTFUL. People want to work for someone who makes them feel valued, appreciated and treats them like they are an integral part of the team.
• Bad bosses DO NOT GIVE FEEDBACK. How does a staff member know they are being effective if they are not told? Recognition for a job well done is also essential for staff retention. For me, this has always been by key motivator in my career. I am 38 years old, but I still like knowing I have done a good job.
• Bad bosses breed NEGATIVITY. Negativity is contagious. Managers who complain can expect the same from their employees. The tone is set at the top.
• Bad bosses BUILD AN INTIMIDATING REPUTATION. Temper and impatience are a bad combination in a manager. Employees should be able to come to their boss when they need support, see hurdles ahead or worry that something is about to go wrong.

The Good boss

Any boss should strive to be the best, most effective manager they can be. You do not want to be the bad boss. You want to treat your employees with fairness and respect and earn their respect in turn. You want to be the type of leader who motivates staff and inspires them to go the extra mile for you.

Good bosses should be helpful and promote a sense of purpose. WHY ARE WE HERE? They are concerned about staff retention and do everything in their power to keep star employees happy.

Good bosses are easy to identify because they possess certain characteristics and exhibit specific behaviours. Good bosses work to make sure that loyal, dedicated staff never want to leave.

• Good bosses ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE. Even the best employees need direction from their boss from time to time. A good boss responds to staff through email, voice mail or in person in a timely manner. They will always make time for you.
• Good bosses TRUST STAFF TO WORK ON THEIR OWN. A good boss who does not micromanage demonstrates trust in employees; this tends to improve staff retention.
• Good bosses RESPECT STAFF. Employees are not necessarily looking for a best friend in their boss. But a good boss makes his/her staff feel valued. Simple things like remembering the names of an employee’s children and celebrating birthdays and work anniversaries go a long way to making an employee feel valued.
• Good bosses PROVIDE FEEDBACK. Professionals need feedback on their performance and constructive advice they can use to improve. A good manager recognizes that a job well done is essential for staff retention. And he/she shows team members they appreciate their hard work.
• Good bosses DEAL WITH ISSUES QUICKLY. An effective manager deals with difficult situations and toxic employees right away. Toxic employees can wreak havoc at work and this can cause top performers to harbour resentment – both for their bosses and their colleagues. Unhappiness on the job is a big reason why good employees leave and good bosses do their best to prevent this.
• Good bosses BREED POSITIVITY. A good boss leads by example. They know that if they have a poor attitude, so will staff. Great managers give staff members a reason to care and display the level of enthusiasm they hope to see from staff.
• Good bosses HELP EMPLOYEES GROW. Managers who value staff retention help employees expand their knowledge and abilities – even if that means the employees leave the team to hone their skills elsewhere, working for another great boss. Good employees leave because they feel constricted. Good bosses help their team member be all that they can be.
• Good bosses CULTIVATE A TEAM ATTITUDE. Employees should be able to come to their boss when they need support or have an idea they feel could work as a solution to a situation that may arise. Good bosses recognise the value in remaining even-tempered and approachable to foster great relations with staffers.

So there you have it. It is time for those that run a business, lead a team or are in a managerial role to look in the mirror and think 'WHO AM I?'. It is time to think about how WE CAN IMPROVE as leaders and how we can ensure that anyone we work with are supported and valued in their role.

As I said in the beginning, I have been guilty of being a bad boss based on the above. But the most important thing I can say is that I have learnt the skills and characteristics to make my bad experience into a positive experience. I have learnt that you have to take ownership for past mistakes and look in the mirror and realign what sort of boss you want to be.

Thank you for reading!