The Perfect Boss: Could You Be It?
This blog post was contributed by, Kelsey Weeks.
What makes a perfect boss? If you’ve ever worked for another person, which is highly likely, then you probably already have an idea of what the perfect boss should be like. However, many people who start their own business don’t take this into account, and simply do things their own way. If you plan on starting a company, then you need to make sure you’re the best boss there is. While there’s no such thing as perfect, you need to make an effort to be the person your employees can come to for support, somebody they can rely on, and somebody who really cares. Here are some pointers that will help you:
Relate To Your Employees
Relating to your employees doesn’t have to be difficult. The thing you need to acknowledge is that your employees will never relate to you while you pay no attention to them and get somebody else to carry your bags. You need to take an interest in them!
Know your employees names. This is a biggy. Greet them when you see them. Take an interest in how they are getting on with their job and what’s going on with them at home. This will mean a lot to them. Use your past experiences to advise them and inspire them. They should eventually see that you were just like them once. If they can relate to you, they’ll see you as equal. This doesn’t mean they won’t work as hard; if anything, they’ll feel an affinity with you and want to work harder. There’s a line between boss and friend though, so make sure you have clear boundaries and don’t push them.
Have An Open Door Policy
Having an open door policy is beneficial for many reasons. Wouldn’t you want to know if something was going on in your office? When an employee feels like they can come to you right away, you’ll be able to nip issues in the bud and help as best you can. If your employees feel like they can’t talk to you, these issues will fester and no doubt get worse. They won’t get resolved on their own!
Show That You Trust Them
Providing you have done the correct background checks and hired trustworthy people, you need to show that you trust your employees. This doesn’t mean giving them your bank details or a key to your home. It simply means allowing them to talk amongst themselves without worrying that they won’t get anything done. It means trusting one of them with important information, or tasks that need to be done.
Go Above And Beyond To Help With Problems
Make sure you do all you can to help with your employee’s problems. If you know they’re struggling with something, find a way to help them out – not just with work either! Of course you can’t counsel their relationship or give them a pay out whenever they need one, but there are certain things you can do that will promote loyalty in your employees. If you know your employee is struggling to land an apartment that they want, for example, could you speak with the landlord? Doing things like this will help your employees out to no end, and a happy employee with few worries means a better work life! You can bet that when you do this for your employees, they will be more productive and stay with you longer.
Perfect Your Communication Skills
Having incredible communication skills is crucial when you’re the boss. There can be no crossed wires. You need to make it clear what you want to happen. There are many ways of enhancing your communication skills. You could pursue additional credentialing with a variety of degrees, such as an online Masters of Fine Arts. You can always improve your communication skills, so consider it a lifelong journey.
Aim To Inspire Your Team
Don’t aim to boss your employees around and tell them what they need to improve on. While delegating tasks and giving them feedback is important, you also need to aim to inspire. Think about how you can inspire your employees carefully. Can you tell them stories about how you improved your career? Can you put up motivational pictures, or share videos with them that you found inspiring?
You can even simply inspire them by praising them on the good work they’ve done. Make sure you personalize it by using their name, as it’ll mean much more to them than simply giving the whole office a pat on the back (although sometimes this is called for too). When people feel inspired, they work harder and feel happier at work. There’s nothing better than having a happy team.
When you can be an inspiring boss, you are already doing great!
Give Back To Your Team
Make sure you give back to your team. If they’ve worked particularly hard one week, is there a way you can reward them? Maybe you could treat them to lunch. Maybe you could arrange a team building activity. Giving back doesn’t even need to cost money. You could simply make sure you praise them properly and give them the recognition that they deserve.
It’s a good idea to make sure you give back in terms of the work environment too. Make sure the kitchen is always stocked with coffee and tea, so they can make a hot drink when they need one. You might even want to create a chill out area for them to help them recuperate!
So, do you think you could be the perfect boss after reading this? You may need to work on a few things, but you can be a great leader if you really try. Think of all of the things you’d want in a boss and work hard to becoming that person. Leave your own tips below. Come back soon!
