Thank Goodness It's Monday #310

GOOD BOSS/BAD BOSS

WHICH ARE YOU?

Dilbert is tormented by his pointy-haired boss.

Dagwood and his boss, Mr. Dithers, are often the bane of each other’s work lives.

Perpetual Private Beetle Bailey and his immediate boss – “Sarge” – and the commander of their imaginary Camp Swampy, General Halftrack, are a case study in conflict across the ranks.

(Think I’m a fan of newspaper cartoon strips?)

But it’s no longer like this in “the real world” …

Is it?

Well … Mention bosses and it seems that, even in this age of empowered workers and enlightened management, most people have at least one story to tell about “the boss from hell.”

But if all bosses were really as insensitive and clueless as the stories go, you have to think that business today would more resemble the less-than-funny parts of those funny pages.

In truth: Most bosses are in between; a complex mixture of good and bad.

Even the worst of bosses is sometimes just a good person in a wrong situation. But people generally tend to see things as cut and dried … black and white … and respond accordingly.

TGIM Challenge:  When you’re in “boss” mode – and we all are any number of times in the day, even if we’re not at the head of the board room table or behind a big desk in the executive suite – how do you think others rate you? Do they see you as a Good Boss or a Bad Boss?

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Check the following qualities that real employees in scientific workplace studies say make for a good boss. Use them to manage yourself, as well as the others you’re responsible for guiding, and get the results you want without inciting mutiny on your ship or shift.

Good bosses … 

… Tell people exactly what’s expected of them. People have enough to worry about without having to second-guess or read minds. So, for example, in flourishing workplaces, employees with good bosses have very clear and well-defined job duties. When changes are to be made, these bosses let everyone know ahead of time. 

… Can spot problems immediately and resolve them quickly.  Good bosses take responsibility for the things that can and do go wrong, act on these problems at once, and swiftly institute measures necessary to prevent similar situations from occurring. 

… Praise others for work well done. Credit goes where it belongs (and should never be taken by the boss alone). 

… Help others advance professionally. Good bosses encourage their people to stretch their talents, acquire new ones, and take on new and more challenging responsibilities. 

… Create a proper balance of independence and supervision. Good bosses are neither baby sitters nor dictators. On the other hand, good bosses know when to step in and offer guidance, or even assume outright control of the situation. 

… Know or have actually done the work their charges are doing. They aren’t just “political appointees” – they are people who have advanced through merit and achievement. Through their knowledge of the work people are doing, good bosses gain the respect of the people they oversee. 

… Can set reachable, yet challenging, goals -- for individuals as well as for groups. Good bosses can challenge and guide their charges as an integrated unit, as well as distinct and discrete players on the team. 

… Criticize effectively without making it a personal issue. Good bosses know that criticism, first and foremost, should be done in private. They focus on projects, rather than on people, giving input constructively to create better individual and collective outcomes from the participants – not to punish them. 

… Organize and plan projects to achieve desired results. Good bosses don’t expect end results to appear magically. They know when to break work into more manageable parts and establish priorities and set tasks in doable order. 

… Treat all their people fairly. Good bosses don’t play favorites and offer challenging assignments to all who are willing and able to accomplish them. 

… Value what others have to say. Good bosses validate what people think and feel by listening attentively to proposed ideas and acting on what they have heard. 

… Acknowledge their own shortcomings and admit mistakes. Good bosses are aware of their own imperfections and own up when they have fouled up. And they work just as hard at improving themselves as they do with the people they’re responsible for. 

… Are decisive and do not delay action on important decisions. Good bosses seek input on and mull over important issues, but -- when the time has come to make a decision -- they do not hesitate or waver, even in the face of dissent or doubt on the part of the people they boss. 

TGIM Takeaway: Becoming and being a good boss is a never-ending job. No matter how long or how well you’ve been doing it, a new challenge to your abilities awaits and there’s something new to be learned all around in mastering the situation – together. 

A thought in closing: The ever-quotable Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, “Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it. The man who knows how will always have a job. The man who also knows why will always be his boss.” 

I hope this TGIM added to your storehouse of “how” as well as “why.” 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com    

P.S.  “We must develop knowledge optimization initiatives to leverage our key learnings.” Dilbert creator Scott Adams puts this kind of “wisdom” into the comments of his Pointy-Haired Boss character. Be Good Boss – not a Pointy-Haired one -- and leverage this learning.