How to Be a Good Boss...

With shows like The Office so popular, one can safely surmise there is a surfeit of bad bosses - and that's not good. Are the real bosses as bad as that guy on TV? Surely not, but those not on TV are lacking enough substance to warrant the creation of a show like The Office. For the sake of those of us who are not self-employed, let's look at the secret recipe for being a good boss. And since people are different, let's assume we are bright, ambitious, and desirous of doing great work. 

Let's start with the what great bosses don't need: they don't need to be great leaders; they don't need to be smart; and they don't need to be politically savvy. 

Leaders are born - not made. This comment will infuriate the trainers/coaches who make money transforming ordinary folk into great leaders but I've been to many such sessions and the only ones who benefit are the outliers. The great ones get greater still while the truly horrid get a tiny bit less bad. Those stuck in the middle, the majority, invariably find themselves in the same place that following Monday; perhaps they cannot remember or aptly apply the lessons. You might think having a really smart boss is a plus but it's not. Big brains rarely exude empathy; instead, they alienate and create barriers. Also, their owners feel that being smart is enough and, again, it's not. Last comes political savvy, a skill as helpful as it can be hurtful - like juggling knives. Time is money and both are wasted when your boss is too busy to help because he's striking a pose with the senior executives. Just do the work and the results will be noticed...

The must-haves for being a good boss is having all of the following qualities: vision; sensibility; and (not or) humor. That's it; anything more is icing on the cake that makes the good great.

Vision, whether it's your boss' or someone else's, is critical for without knowing where you want to go, any path will do. Understanding the strategy makes it easy to know what to do, to see how your work fits in and, perhaps most important, it helps you know what to say no to. Being sensible is largely overlooked these days and that's a shame. Steering employees to think logically and to conduct themselves in the best possible way can make or break a career. In the book Emotional Intelligence, the author told of a US military attache based in Asia who was required to show a propaganda film guaranteed to ruin the relationships he had worked so hard to forge. Rather than not showing it, he complied (at 3 am) a win-win if ever there was one! Last comes humor. In any kind of relationship, sharing a moment of mirth goes a long way; it creates a bond that makes both parties try harder which, in turn, breeds more good work. 

My best bosses have taught me how to think (by their example); they have stretched me with assignments well past my pay grade (perhaps the only good side-effect of downsizing); and they have beaten the tar out of me with words, reviews and the evil eye whenever I failed to live up to expectations. They have also made me laugh, a lot, and this - along with all the other stuff -  made me love (not just respect) them. Maybe it's because my career began with a series of unspeakably bad bosses that the good ones stand out so. Whatever it is, I'm glad to know the difference and to be able to celebrate the great ones in real-time, while I've still got them because who knows what might come next...