Thursday, January 20, 2011

10 things about good bosses !

By Kukil Bora, SiliconIndia
Friday, 21 January 2011, 05:24 IST
Bangalore: Do you like your boss? Let's be honest, a majority of employees will definitely come with a negative answer to this question. Yes, bosses are not always there to be liked. But is there any fun being a boss who is not respected or ineffective at managing staff? Of course not, so let's have a look at what it takes to be a good boss. Below are 10 things that bosses can do to guarantee that their subordinates and co-workers will respect them.

1. Praise the staff in public, correct them in private
Good bosses know it very well that praising and encouraging the staff is the key to have a positive atmosphere within the office and it helps to bring the best in them. If someone does something well, a good boss should recognize them for their efforts. People need to know when they are doing well and that they are appreciated. However, if someone is not doing so well, speak to them privately, instead of calling them out in front of a group.

2. Pay people what they are worth
While paying your staff, don't think you are losing in extra expense. Pay your staff what they're worth. While determining annual bonuses or profit-sharing for all employees, keep in mind that if you are paying them extra, you'll certainly gain in performance.

3. Allot responsibilities, not tasksIn order to attain professional growth, it is very important for the bosses that they give their employees responsibilities and not tasks. Dumping tasks on workers can never boost productivity. Bosses should always make sure that they hold people accountable.

4. Push, but back offSometimes employees want to be challenged to do their best, and if they like their work, they will strive to give that. Good bosses always keep in mind that. Therefore, like an ideal coach, the bosses should know when to push and when to back off in order to draw out the best from the team.

5. Empower the staff to take vital decisionsIf the boss has done well in training his staff, he must have firm belief in them that they are doing their best to act in the company's interest. What if they make a wrong decision? Not a big deal. Don't shout at them. Instead, take it as yet another training opportunity. Listen to their reasons and figure out the flaws.

6. Share experiences and insights
Sharing experiences and giving insights is the best way a boss can make his employees learn. To be frank, they don't need a friend. What they need is a mentor who can teach them the best ways and at the same time shows enough generosity to share his own experiences.

7. Build team spiritIn any organization a good team spirit is always important for better performance. A great team can always do better than great individuals. Bosses should take suitable steps as to create and strengthen the team spirit among the employees.

8. Treat employees as they deserveAll employees should be respected and valued. But treating each and everyone as equals with same respect is not the right thing to do. Being a good boss, you should keep in mind that an employee must earn the respect he or she wants to be treated with.

9. Be open-minded and an effective listener
Someone in the team may come up with a new and different way of looking at a problem. You may not agree with that new idea, but first listen to that and make your people know that you are willing to hear out a new point of view. It will make people more responsible by making them feel that they are contributing to the project.

10. Don't play favourites
Human beings always like somebody better than others. It's natural. But this favouritism should not have any place in the office. Being a good boss, you should find common ground with every employee, regardless of employees' hometowns, ages or ethnicities.

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