subject: What My Best & Worst Boss Each Taught Me [print this page] For those who have been in the working world long enough, I"m sure you"ve had a variety of supervisors over the years""some good, some not so good. In the positive environments, you"re excited to go to work every day because you have the support and tools you need to thrive; but in the negative ones, it"s all you can do just to drag yourself out of bed each day, and that feeling, if prolonged, is likely to put you on the hunt for something else. It"s easy to look back on that experience and just be grateful you survived but, being a "glass half full" kind of gal, I have tried, over the years, to seek out a lesson amidst the turmoil I experienced with those particular bosses. So, even if you are unable to find the moral in bad management, I will gladly share my wisdom with you in the hopes that it will shine a light on a few do"s and don"ts in the human capital world.
Worst Boss Lessons
Your ideas and opinions are not the only ones that matter. Occasionally, someone else, even a subordinate, might have a good idea, so be sure to listen to what others have to say and don"t shut them out before they can share their thoughts.
You can"t intimidate people into performing better. Being mean and scary doesn"t make you more powerful, it makes you more despised. Didn"t your mother ever tell you that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar? The same applies in adulthood""treat people with respect and they will be happy to do what you ask of them.
Make your expectations both realistic and clear. No one likes to be set up for failure, so don"t make your employees guess what it is you expect them to do. And if they are required to learn a new skill or task, make sure they have the tools, training, and time to succeed.
Got high turnover? It might not be a run of bad luck or a crummy bunch of employees that"s to blame. Most people do not enjoy the turmoil and instability that comes with the job hunt and subsequent acclimation to the new organization and position, so if people are quitting or getting fired in droves, it is more than likely a sign of the working conditions, not a flippant batch of slackers. Look to some of your policies, benefits, and requirements but also take a hard look at your management style. If any of the above bullets ring true, it might be time to develop and adopt a different leadership style.
Best Boss Lessons
Take the time to get to know your immediate staff. If you oversee a large part of the organization, you may not be able to sit down with everyone personally, but it is important to do so with your immediate subordinates. Getting to know them on a professional and somewhat personal level has enormous benefits in effectively managing them. Learning their interests, passions, strengths, and weaknesses will go a long way in enabling you to develop them, and also builds a great deal of trust.
Have an open-door policy. Many managers baulk at this, but it doesn"t mean you don"t ever close your door, it just means that your employees feel comfortable being able to come to you with their ideas or concerns. If the idea of having people walk in whenever they feel like it at all hours of the day, make it your policy that you are happy to meet with anyone about anything, but in order to make the time spent together the most effective, ask that they set up an appointment with you so that the time firmly planted on both your calendars. Keeping the appointment time finite will also keep everyone focused on the issue at hand.
Don"t ask people to do anything you wouldn"t do. Certainly there are menial tasks that, as a manager, you would never be able to spend time doing. However, if it"s getting down to the wire and there is a lot left to do before a deadline can be met, knowing your boss is right there with you in the trenches, working towards that success as much as you are, it goes a long way in keeping those employees motivated and willing to go that extra mile to get the job done right.
Got any good or bad boss experiences to share? We"d love to read them! Post them in the comments section below.
