Ever worked for someone who could’ve been the inspiration for the movie “Horrible Bosses?” If you’re shaking your head, you’re one of the lucky few. The rest of us are still recovering from our emotional scars.
Now, you’re the one in charge. Here’s how to avoid becoming the impetus for another installment of the workplace comedy:
Lead by example
As a leader, you need to earn your employees’ respect by making sure you walk the walk.
“It doesn’t matter what you say; it matters what you do. Employees spend an inordinate amount of time watching what the boss does, and those actions matter far more than his words,” Paul Brown writes in this article in Inc.
Brown notes that this extends to your actions off the clock: No one wants to see you drunk at the holiday party.
Communicate
Despite concerns about “over communication,” many bosses actually don’t communicate enough, Brown writes. They’re either too busy or expect people to “get it” if it has been said a couple of times, he writes.
Make sure your employees understand your needs and expectations from the start. Goals and metrics must be clear, Steve Tobak writes in this article in Entrepreneur.
“There’s nothing less motivating for a good employee than a boss who keeps moving the target. I mean, how can you win the game when the rules keep changing?” he writes.
Hold yourself and others accountable
Be clear, and set the bar high, Tobak advises.
“If you accept a challenge and set a goal, you do whatever it takes to make it happen. Just don’t forget we live in a competitive world and winning is never easy. Failing is OK as long as you give it your best. That goes for you and your people,” Tobak writes. “Great bosses always lead their teams into battle. If they win, they sing everyone’s praises. If they lose, they take the heat. They own it. The buck always stops with them. If some of their folks could have done better, they tell them in private.”
Great bosses do what they have to do to help people grow. Sometimes that can mean having an uncomfortable conversation. “More than anything, that includes wasting no time telling them what’s holding them back,” Tobak writes.
Have your employees’ backs
Here’s what Tobak describes as a key attribute of teams that accomplish great things: a boss who keeps upper management off their backs, removes barriers, and provides what they need to do their jobs.
In other words, this type of boss has his or her employees’ backs. Instead of wasting energy rolling blame downhill, they pave the way for things to go right. And if they do mess up, they have the courage to admit it.
Have a sense of humor
We’re not talking about breaking out the knock-knock jokes. But a sense of humor, especially about yourself, can go a long way.
“This one is tricky because what one person finds funny (Katt Williams, Don Rickles) another person will not. The best course here (as well as the safest) is the ability laugh at yourself,” Brown writes.
Follow the Golden Rule
“It turns out the Golden Rule is the answer to an awful lot of questions,” Brown writes. “So don’t play favorites and don’t keep someone in the doghouse longer than absolutely necessary.”
All in all, being a great boss, or at least avoiding being a horrible one, is about acting with integrity and treating other people as we would like to be treated. Although treating people well may not be the stuff of a hit comedy, it’s certain to be a hit in the workplace.
