Being a successful leader and boss means establishing healthy relationships, working hard, and making sure you take care of your employees and satisfy them. It’s a lot harder than it sounds, but when a business or company operates the right way, everyone prospers.
Not only does leading your employees the right way increase morale and productivity, it increases the work’s quality your business produces which, in turn, increases your profits. In the eyes of the employee, there’s nothing worse than working for a manager or boss who doesn’t inspire, constantly complains, and isn’t willing to admit his or her own faults.
With that in mind, here are ten tips to consider as you evolve as a leader and become the best boss possible.
Do Your Job and Do It Well
Setting an example that your employees want to follow is an important factor in being a boss they’ll want to work for. Owning a company or supervising employees isn’t an excuse to sit back in your leather chair behind a desk commanding people to work while you do nothing. Lead by example, and whatever you ask your employees to do should definitely be something you’d be willing to do yourself too.
Get Flexible
With 81 percent of millennial wanting to make their own hours at work, being flexible is essential when recruiting, hiring, managing, and retaining the new generation of workers.
It’s surprising how much you can motivate your employees by giving them the freedom to tweak their hours and establishing a telecommuting policy. Being a great boss means keeping up with the times and adjusting accordingly. Using the best enterprise mobility management will help you in this process.
Recognize the Positives and the Negatives
As a boss and leader, it’s your job to evaluate how the company is doing and outline that for your employees in a way that’s insightful and inspiring. When things are going great, recognize your employees for it. When things aren’t going so well, motivate them to strive for better results. It’s important to communicate what you expect of your employees and to know what they expect of you without sugar-coating anything.
Admit Your Mistakes
Exemplifying humility goes a long way in earning your employees’ respect in the office. By admitting your mistakes and showing vulnerability, you’re telling your employees that you’re human. They appreciate your honesty and will like that you take responsibility for your actions, even if you’re the one cutting their checks. When you’re honest and admit mistakes, you’re employees will too. This is the only way to fixing mistakes and getting better, instead of sweeping them under the rug and hiding them.
Be Aware of Yourself and Your Employees
Be aware of your moods and the general mood of the office. As a boss, you have a direct impact on how your team feels. If you think the office is in a lousy mood, call a meeting or do something you know will brighten their day.
Also, think about how you communicate with your employees and how your mood influences that communication. Your employees may think they did something wrong if you experienced something bad at home or out of work. Keep this mind when talking to employees or delegating tasks to them.
Help Your Staff Grow
It’s important for you, as a boss and leader, to give your employees the opportunity to evolve professionally and advance within your company. You may give your employees basic skills and leadership training, but opening up the doors to new opportunities and challenges allows them to expand their horizons. Not only will this help improve the skill set of your staff, but it’ll likely retain your employees because the opportunities they would leave for are otherwise offered in-house.
Invest in Those You Value
Like with opening up the doors to new opportunities and challenges to your employees, you also want to identify their strengths that they don’t recognize in themselves. People are often blind to their own abilities and potential; good leaders not only recognize them but help develop them.
Don’t be afraid or hesitate to pay to send your employees to seminars, conferences, and other training-focused events if they’re interested and dedicated to your company’s mission. It’ll pay in the long run, and people want to work for someone who invests in their future.
Involve Yourself
It’s easy to work in the same office space as all your employees every day and still not pay attention to them because you’re preoccupied with your own worries. After all, you’re the boss and you have a lot of responsibility. Keep an open door policy and check in with your employees daily.
Being a listener, identifying their frustrations, and gauging their emotional commitment and energy to their work is an important part of being a successful manager. Just remember to avoid micromanaging – telling someone how to do something instead of clarifying what needs to get done.
Have Fun
Just because you’re at work and manage employees doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with them. Doing so provides a layback atmosphere, creates positive relationships, and strengthens your team.
If the nature of your work environment doesn’t allow for fun activities to take place in it, plan and schedule things outside of work that’ll bond people together. Meeting for dinner or drinks after works helps build relationships and helps your employees see you in a different light. When you create a positive atmosphere, it’s easier to deal with challenges when they arise.
Trust Yourself
At the end of the day, there’s no absolute right way to manage employees. Trust yourself, be decisive, exhibit confidence, and learn from the mistakes you make. When you have doubts of what to do, follow your heart and think of it from the perspective of your employees. How would you feel if you were them looking up to someone like you for guidance and direction?
Being a great boss and leader is not easy, but once you’re deemed one it’ll be one of the most gratifying and rewarding you’ll have.
Are you a manager? Do you consider yourself a leader? What other advice would you add to the list?