Being the boss can be hard …but, no one ever said it would be easy!
Not everyone aspires to one day ‘be the boss’, and many of us don’t naturally wish to ‘have a boss’.
But, at the same time, most of us want to be part of a great team, and great teams are led by great leaders. And at the end of the day; “All businesses ‘live and die’ by the strength of their leadership.”
So, here’s ‘Part 1’ of my list of 10 things great bosses do. So, if you’re the boss, ask yourself; “How do I measure up?”
At number 1, Great bosses are…
1. Proactive and forward-thinking…
They are visionaries! They know they won’t always get it right, but they’re always looking ahead and taking action.
At number 2, they…
2. Create a culture by design rather than default…
They purposefully create a culture that reflects their values, rather than let the culture create itself.
They recognise that the culture of the business is a valuable, and sometimes fragile asset. So they passionately nurture and protect it, by making sure they attract people who share the same values.
And they don’t hesitate to ‘move those people on’ that don’t share the same values.
At number 3, they…
3. Encourage new ideas and new ways of thinking…
Great bosses think outside the box and empower their team to do the same.
They are not threatened by new ideas and new ways of thinking, instead they feed off it, they recognise that running a business, developing a culture and building a team is a very creative process.
They recognise that, ‘what was right and worked yesterday may not be right and work today’, so they are always on a quest of constant and never-ending improvement.
The 4th thing they do is…
4. Empower others with a sense of ownership…
They don’t just ‘talk the talk’ of teamwork and ownership. They create an environment and systems that encourage open honest feedback and aren’t blinkered or threatened by not having total control.
They recognise that the challenge isn’t just in letting new ideas in, but in getting old ideas out. So they create an environment where everyone understands that their ideas matter, and that everyone has the power to influence change and control the outcome.
And the 5th thing that great bosses do is…
5. Create a learning environment…
They develop leadership and growth from within the team.
They use the workplace as a classroom, integrating individual learning and growth into every job description so that personal and professional development is required and rewarded.
That’s the end of Part 1 ’10 things great bosses do’. Part 2 is next week.
If you don’t already have them I suggest that you get my books GROW 2 Management and GROW 3 Team, which are full of ideas to help you become a better leader or manager.
Thanks for watching
See you next week for part 2.
Until then,
Have a great week!
