...and build your business in the process...
I have been a "boss" and I have been a team member too - I have, and continue to see the good the bad and the ugly when it comes to how people in management and leadership positions treat those they have responsibility for...
There are a number of key traits that in my experience define the "awesome" managers and leaders from the average and useless...
Being in charge of a Team is a privilege; building and motivating a great team is one of the single biggest challenges that Managers face. It doesn't matter how good they were at the job they did before they got promoted, being a Leader and an Awesome Boss is a skill denied many..
So here is my checklist for all round Boss Awesomeness...
1. Vision - have clarity of purpose and passionate resolve towards it's achievement. If you want to see someone reveal their true character; give them authority over others.
2. Respect - you are not paid to be liked, but you will need to be respected. Earning the respect of your team; respect them first and they will reciprocate.
3. Achievement - you don't have to be better at the jobs that your team do, but you do need to be excellent at something. Leading by example is still the best...
4. Trust - if you say you are going to do something, do it. Keep your promises and for good or for bad your team will know that you are a serious player.
5. Equality - treat all people equally and reward them on the basis of their performance. Don't have favourites, the team wins collectively not individually...
6. Promote - recognise your team and share the credit. Allow them to stand in the limelight with you and allow them to be recognised by others too..
7. Discipline - set the rules of the game and stick to them, let everyone know what is expected and don't tolerate those who don't play nice - teams lose players too sometimes...
8. Fairness - don't use petty rules to penalize people - allow as much freedom and individual responsibility as possible. Business should be fun remember...
I once sat with a Marketing Director who told me that she had got promoted, not by actually being any good, but by making her Boss look bad and reporting him to his seniors whenever possible...
This negative, back stabbing, political maneuvering isn't tolerated by many and should be stamped out wherever possible - you can only imagine the type of Boss she became. Not only despised by those around her, but eventually fired for professional incompetence.
The interesting thing that I find now, doing the work that I do, is that strangely, the Managers and Leaders in business who work along the lines defined above - get better results, make more money and are actually better people than those who don't..
If you'd like a FREE copy of one of my E Books describing more about getting the best from your team - Excellence is a Real Pitch...
Just drop me a note with your email address and I'll send it over..
Cheers
Dave
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