In a leadership seminar I present entitled “Leadership, the Next Wave and How to Ride It,” I ask the participants to list the attributes of a good boss. In an earlier column or in my book, Within Your Reach, you might have seen the top ten attributes in an article entitled, “An Employee’s View of a Good Boss.” Within the last two years, we have changed the question and now ask the attendees to complete the following statement: “A good boss is one who will...” Here is a compilation of the most common ways the statement is finished.
A good boss is one who will give an employee an assignment and then provide the necessary authority and resources to get it done.
A good boss is one who will not only give orders but will also give explanations, so that employees understand how their work contributes to the team’s goals.
A good boss is one who will treat employees’ questions with respect and recognize that a question signifies interest.
A good boss is one who will keep the employees informed on what is going on in the company and knows that straight information is the best defense against demoralizing gossip.
A good boss is one who will defend and protect employees from unfair attacks by others in the management structure.
A good boss is one who will reasonably, consistently, and fairly administer the rules of the department so that no employee has an advantage or, even more importantly, is put at a disadvantage.
A good boss is one who will create an atmosphere of cooperation rather than competition among the employees.
A good boss is one who will pitch in and help get a job done when circumstances cause an employee to falter under the load.
A good boss is one who will give employees an unrestricted opportunity to get their work done, knowing that few people work well with someone looking over their shoulder.
A good boss is one who will act on the knowledge that employees will act in the manner that they are treated, and therefore will always treat them as winners.
Well, that’s what my seminar attendees think characterize a good boss. Do you agree?