A good boss is really rare specimen. If you find somebody telling, “I had a good boss”, he’s right, he truly had one. We start liking our bosses only after they have left the company OR have left the world.
Although I have no management degree, with a few years of experience, I feel like writing a few tips on being a good boss, or rather how to seem like a good boss…!
Tip 1 : Good bosses have good understanding of the task relationship curve. Its a simple theory, all tasks seem dull and boring, they only way you can infuse some enthusiasm in the employees is by adding a bit of emotion and human touch to the act. Building relationship with your subordinates is the only way of doing it. After a few steps of building a relationship, add a few tasks to your subs kitty.
How do I build a relationship with my sub??? Good question, the answer not so simple. I will try and provide you some ideas, but believe me abstract theories have no fixed rules or checklists.
Ensure that you spend some time speaking to your sub over a coffee, know more about his or her family and partner. So now that you know your employee better,heres a small small conversation for reference.
Boss : Hey Tim, how was your date last night??
Tim : Great, we went for a long drive and then to hangout at the beach..!
Boss : So have you started working on the report??
Tim : Yes sir, its almost done, will submit by EOD.
In the above example the conversation could have been directly to the point, but a bit of relation building helps the sub perform the task with more ease. See I had mentioned earlier, all tasks are boring, we are just trying to make them seem interesting.
Tip 2 : Be a part of the problem.
Bosses, generally stay outside the problem to ease the pain. I recommend you be with the subs for sometime while they attempt to solve the problem. This will help you understand the problem better and also use your experience to resolve it faster. No doubts it will alleviate your emotional pain of already being answerable for its occurrence, but mind you this act will help you make your team proactive.
Tip 3: Convey at least 80% of what the senior management has asked you to deliver, in brief meetings with your subs. This will help them see the broader picture and sometimes understand why you have taken harsh decisions.
Tip 4: Appreciate, Appreciate and Appreciate. Small gifts and appreciation emails will help motivate your team. These are short term morale boosters, since the only long term measures are salary, perks and growth. If you have youngsters in the team with less focus on monetary benefits, tip4 is what you need.
Watch this space for some unorthodox management tips in the coming weeks.