Four Factors to Becoming a Super Boss
Oct 19 | 2016
You’re at the top of your game. As “boss,” you have control over so much of your business. Between the phone calls, orders, hiring, bills, and day-to-day grind, your employees may not see the best of you as much as you wish they could.
Being the boss is more than signing paychecks and snagging the highly-coveted corner office. It means being a shining example for your staff. Showing them the ropes and maturely mentoring. Encouraging innovation and teamwork. It will feel great knowing you’ve taken your role as boss to the highest level. Work will be more productive and employees will stick around for years to come. Here’s how to be a super boss and have a staff brimming with admiration and pride.
Have Some Humor
Being in charge is serious business, but without some comic relief every now and then, stress and frustration will creep in and start to make things far from fun. It’s important for even the most business-like boss to take it easy now and then to show the team that life is only full when all parts of the spectrum are taken in.
As per Inc., “Time and experience usually teaches us lessons in our own limitations and fallibility. That tends to infuse a sense of humor, humility, and empathy, at least in some well-balanced adults who just so happen to make great bosses.”
Exhibiting a keen sense of humor shows that you are approachable and humble and you know that enjoying your time at work is part of a company’s overall success. All work and no play makes for a pretty dull existence. Laughter and comradery are part of a tight-knit workforce. You’ll burn out quickly without the light of a beaming smile.
Take Responsibility
A super boss has integrity and while he may dole out tasks to his team, he understands that he’s the one ultimately responsible for the company’s success. When things go well, it’s easy to take credit, but a good boss takes the heat when things aren’t up to par just the same.
Inc. notes, “There are no absolutes in business. You make commitments, put your butt on the line, then see how you did. Unless you complete that feedback loop and hold everyone’s feet to the fire, nothing really counts.”
Bosses who know how to manage appropriately and make smart choices understand that even with the best intentions and planning, things don’t always go swimmingly. A responsible boss won’t ignore the obvious and will lead the team in a fresh direction. There’s no time for putting on a pair of rose colored glasses when things are already crystal clear.
As Salary explains, “Does the boss help employees recover from mistakes, or does he blow a gasket?” If the latter is evident, it’s a sign that the boss isn’t taking responsibility for himself or his staff.
Be Honest
To be a successful boss, honesty is the only policy. Sugarcoating and exaggerating only sets a company back. An honest boss gets what’s working, what needs more gas, and what to let go of.
Bosses must be honest with themselves, their customers, and most importantly, their staff. As per Salary, “If the boss is telling you things about your future with the company that just aren’t true, like there is room for growth when no one has been promoted from within for years, you’re in trouble. You want someone who will tell it like it is, pull no punches and be realistic about what the future holds.”
It’s easy for employees to gather the honesty level of their boss – as Entrepreneur notes, “They wear their emotions on their sleeves. They show sincere excitement when things go well. They show sincere appreciation for hard work and extra effort. They show sincere disappointment — not in others, but in themselves.”
An honest boss will try to help his team better themselves, not brush sub-par work under the rug. That will only snowball into a bigger issue for the company at large. Kindness and honesty are not the same thing.
Take Charge
Just try to find a boss who’s shy or a wallflower of any sort. If you can, he’s a rare bird. Most super bosses are the take charge type, who thrive on running the show and making the needle move with vigor.
According to Entrepreneur, “Memorable bosses lead because their employees want them to lead. Their employees are motivated and inspired by the person, not the title.” Just because someone’s “boss” doesn’t make him great. It’s his attitude and sense of authority that makes him special.
A take charge boss doesn’t sit idly by and wait for change to come. He’s a get-the-job-done type who will take any reasonable avenue to make that happen. Inc. notes, “They’re like machines that are programmed to do whatever it takes to get things done. And they’ll find a way, no matter what. Those are the kind of people you want running things.”
And just because a boss is a take charge person doesn’t mean he does all the work. Being in charge means being confident, making smart decisions, allocating tasks, and problem solving. They must know all key elements of the business but be smart enough to hire the right people to make the business soar.
