This week, we’re sharing 100 Ideas for Great Bosses. We’ve already published tips 1 through 25 and 26 to 50.
Why 100? Because we think it’s a pretty good way to mark the occasion of posting our 100th “What Great Bosses Know” podcast on Poynter.org and iTunes U. Most of all, we want to generate some good thinking and conversations among managers and employees.
100 Ideas for Great Bosses: Part Three (51-75):
- Leaders are born AND made. You can learn to be a better leader if you work at it.
- Succession planning matters. Can you look out your door and see your replacement?
- Disengage from digital devices when talking with staff. They hate it when you multitask as they’re communicating with you.
- If you have a habit of sending emails in the middle of the night, your staff may think you expect them to be working then, too.
- The boss’s emotions are contagious.
- Hiring is one of the most important things you do. Don’t hire in haste.
- Don’t hire in your self-image. Hire people who share your core values but bring additional skills to the party.
- Don’t assume that your highest performers need little feedback because they know they’re good. Even good employees want to know they’ve performed well.
- Loyalty is a two-way street. Since companies can’t promise jobs for life, you should expect that employees have an eye on the door as well.
- Be a good agent for your staff. Even if you can’t promise a job for life, you can promise that you’ll help them do good work that will serve them well wherever life takes them.
- Organizations today need to be nimble to respond to business changes or opportunities. But “being nimble” should not be confused with “having no plan.” Have a strategy and a plan for executing it.
- Sayings to avoid: “Do it because I’m the boss and I said so.”
- Sayings to avoid: “If you don’t hear from me, assume you are doing a good job.”
- Sayings to avoid: “Don’t expect thanks from me for doing your job. Your paycheck is your thanks.”
- The most dangerous response from employees: “Just tell me what you want.” It means you’ve driven out independent thinking.
- Organizational culture is more than slogans and traditions. It’s assumptions so deep people don’t even talk about them. To change a culture you have to identify and change old assumptions.
- Time-challenged bosses who want to provide more feedback can’t add hours to their days, but they can consciously upgrade the quality of each connection they make with people to include specific words of feedback.
- What you measure is what you value. The metrics you use drive performance – for better or worse. What are you measuring?
- It’s up to you to adapt to your boss’ style. Managing your boss is key to the success of your team and your own career.
- Work and life are never really in balance because balance means identical measures of work and home time. Strive for work-life harmony instead, where the benefits of each aspect of your life make you more happy and valuable.
- Email is a constant source of misunderstandings, in part because it lacks tone and can be misread. Remember that the first line in a message sets the tone for what follows.
- One of the most frequent compliments given to respected bosses is: “They demonstrate calm in the storm.”
- Not every worthy employee pitches for a promotion. Some are humble; some just assume their work should speak for itself and you’ll notice. Make certain you notice.
- Diversity builds creativity and quality – and reduces groupthink.
- The most important thing bosses do is help others succeed.
Here’s the podcast version of today’s column. I look forward to your feedback:
Coming Friday: Tips 76-100…the big finish!
