12 Things All Great Bosses Do

In honor of Boss’s Day (which was on Monday, October 17), we wanted to share 12 Things All Great Bosses Do. A lot goes into being a great boss, and how you act can greatly affect and influence your team. But being a boss is tough sometimes, so how can you be a great leader, support for your team, and still enjoy your job as well? Checking out this list is a good way to start.

12 Things All Great Bosses Do

Be authentically passionate.

How can you expect your team to work hard, self-motivate, and get behind your projects if you aren’t? Great bosses are passionate about what they do, and why they do it. And this passion isn’t fake – it’s authentic and inspiring.

Listen to your team.

Stating, “your door is always open,” isn’t good enough. Great bosses are proactive and periodically check in with the individual members on their team. Listen to what you’re hearing.

Be open to input and consider different perspectives.

Great bosses know that they don’t know everything. Be open to input from your team members, and consider different perspectives and ways of doing things – even if those ways differ from what you’ve come up with. A great boss knows that ideas come from not just those at the top, but from everyone in your company. Your office manager or receptionist might have a great idea or suggestion to increase efficiency or bring in new customers, and all you have to do is listen.

Give immediate feedback.

Your team members often want immediate feedback on projects and on situations – especially if they have made mistakes or exceeded expectations. Make sure that you try your best to give immediate feedback instead of saving (and risking forgetting) everything for the quarterly or annual assessment.

Recognize and appreciate the abilities of your team members.

Everyone likes to be appreciated, and a great boss knows the simplest way to stop grumbling before it starts is to recognize and appreciate the abilities of everyone who works for you. A good boss elevates everyone around him or her, and acknowledges them often.

Don’t micromanage.

Take it from the Buffet, who says, “Hire well, manage little.” If you’ve ever been the focus of micromanagement, you know how stifling and frustrating it can be. A great boss trusts in their team members, and allows them to do their work without constant check-ins.

Admit your mistakes and accept responsibility.

Everyone makes mistakes, but great bosses don’t throw people (especially their team members) under the bus. Instead, a great boss will admit mistakes and be willing to discuss the situation openly, looking for lessons learned and opportunities for evaluation. A great boss sets a standard for his team members, so no one plays the blame game.

Be approachable and friendly.

Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference, including just being approachable and friendly to your team members. You don’t have to be that boss who scowls and acts standoffish to their employees. The best bosses chat with their employees (though avoid participating in office gossip) and are friendly; showing their quirky, human side.

Don’t overpromise and keep your word.

One of the quickest ways to lose the trust and goodwill of your employees is by overpromising or always saying, “Yes,” when you can’t make good on your word. The best bosses are honest, and only make promises they can realistically

Keep your team informed.

To the best of your abilities, without divulging information that might harm your team or the company, keep your team informed of what’s happening as it pertains to them, their performance, and the overall health of the company, or the success of their projects. No one likes secrets, and if great bosses make sure that everyone feels well-informed and confident in not only their jobs and their worth—but the stability of their workplace as well.

Celebrate small wins.

Great bosses are great motivators, and one of the best ways to motivate your team is to celebrate the small victories, not just the large ones. A great boss will make sure that their team members are thanked, even with a short email or casual desk drop-by.

Protect your team.

While you’d have to be a pretty poor boss to not want your team to trust you, the difference between an okay boss and a great one is that your employees not only trust you, but they know that you’ll have their backs. Fight for your team members, and protect your team not only from outside blame or in fighting, but from blows to employee morale, like layoffs or negative office rumors.

So how do you stack up? Are you being a boss, like a boss? It’s a tough job sometimes,– but also incredibly rewarding one – and from all of us at Demandforce – Happy Belated Boss’s Day!

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