What makes some a good boss?

What makes someone a great boss?

1. Building relationships over control and authority.
2. Know at least 2 personal things about the team.
3. Take blames during failure and give credits to team during success.
4. Appreciating publicly, In front of the team, criticise only in person, personally.
5. Respecting the individuals.
6. Maintaining integrity with the team.
7. Being transparent to the team, about company’s problems, projects/clients requirements and problems, resources etc.
8. Avoiding too much of delegation of work.
9. Avoiding micromanagement.
10. Empowering the people will get the best out of them. Empower them with responsibilities and roles, according to their interest and appreciate whenever required.
11. Driving the team for results without affecting respect and integrity.
12. Always say “We” not “I”.
13. Don’t whine about your problems or the company. Don’t complain and criticise.
14. Be empathetic towards the team. Cut off the ego, superiority or your experience. Control your temper and emotions. Talk out politely during crisis and solve the misunderstanding. Communicating better would help a lot.
15. Don’t judge one aspect of a member based on other aspect. Judge correctly.
16. Understand ones personal interest and motivation. Talk about it openly. So employees will have nothing to hide about, and they will have to work sincerely and honestly, as they can’t have “ lack of interest “ as excuse in their minds.
17. Help them achieve their goals. You raise yourself by raising others.
18. Set them free. Don’t be a control freak. Nobody likes to work under such a person. Recall point 10 and delegate effectively.
19. Listen. Be a good listener. It’s a skill and very tough to do.
20. Solve problems of your team, don’t ask them to adjust the wind and sail the sea.
21. Good leader goes with the team, not just makes the team go. Mingle well.
22. Keep learning and make your team also to learn.
23. Importantly understand, they work for money you pay. It’s a blunt truth. They can exchange only their time for money. Remember that they have personal life too. Don’t expect them to spend entire lifetime to do work for the 8 hours of pay.
24. Take your team to lunches/dinners often. Celebrate project successes. Keep your team engaged with any fun activities, presentations and let them do whatever they would like to do in Office apart from the project work, like any extra-curricular work, automation projects, HR volunteer roles, Sports, etc.

Bringing it all together

Instead of controlling, getting along with team and Building good relationships help a lot. Solving problems of team and empowering them make them good contributors. Being a good producer, and driving the team to produce results and appreciating them, shows the efficacy of leader. Because teams without results are good for nothing. Finally, inspire others to become like you. You build great leaders.

Here are some pictures to highlight differences between a boss and a leader.

Leaders teach the team how to do it where as a boss just tells them what to do.

Are you a boss or a leader?

Boss vs Leader.

Stop calling yourself a boss, consider yourself a leader. That will make you a great boss.

Sairam.