If you want to be a better boss then there are some simple steps that you can take whether you run your own business or are in charge of a team.
Most of us have had experiences of terrible bosses, but the truth is that no one wants to be a bad boss. There is no mandatory boss school and in most cases, people just don’t know how to be any better. If you want to be a better boss, then whether you run your own business or are in charge of a team, the good news is there are some simple steps that you can take.
- Set reasonable goals
The last thing any team wants is to be set unrealistic pie in the sky goals that they’ll never be able to achieve. Far from motivating them to do better, unrealistic goals demoralise the team and create chaos and confusion. Instead, establish a reasonable number of clearly communicated goals to build your team’s confidence. Then you can raise the bar a little next year.
- Genuinely care about your team’s wellbeing
Employees can spot the difference between a boss that genuinely cares about their wellbeing and one that pretends to care from a mile away.Regularly checking in with your team and asking about their personal and professional lives will help to build your relationship. You should also take steps to actively improve their wellbeing.
Fruit basket provider Fruitful Office is actively campaigning to help promote staff health, wellbeing and happiness by aspiring to fresh fruit available on every desk in the country, while cycle to work schemes, subsidised gym memberships and flexible working arrangements all show that you care.
- Listen more than you talk
If you’ve been hiring properly then your team will have a lot of talent and each should know more about their specific field than you do – so listen to their ideas. Letting them work through problems themselves and find their own solutions is central to the learning process and becoming valuable members of your team.
- Respect must be earned
Bad bosses reach a position of authority and think that automatically brings them respect, but respect has to be earned. Your team will only listen and act on what you say if they respect you, otherwise they’ll perform at the minimum level to get by. You can earn their respect by being authentic, leading by example, being consistent and admitting your wrongdoings.
- Never take your anger out on your team
We all have our bad days, but as the boss, you should never lose your temper with your team. Good bosses don’t shout, rant and rave or sulk. Instead, they take some time out to calm down, gather their thoughts and think about the best way to proceed.
- Accept your weaknesses and work on them
No matter how high up you are in an organisation, you have just as many weaknesses as your employees at ground level. As a boss, it is your job to identify those weaknesses and consciously work on them to improve yourself. Being open about your attempts to work on your weaknesses will inspire similar behaviour in your team. Here’s how you can turn your weaknesses as a leader into strengths.
What steps have you taken to become a better boss? Please share your tips with our readers in the comments below.
