We are not saying that you were born enlightened to be a good boss. What follows is a series of recipes for “normal people” who are assigned to lead an organization to become good bosses.
A good boss is one who asks good questions to the people who work for him. Do you want to see the immediate effects of a “questioning” boss? Write down the following questions on a piece of paper and put them in a very visible place on your desk. Make sure that everyone sees them, not only the person who will be talking to you, but also that you yourself don’t forget to ask them and wait patiently for the answer!
Questions to consider in every meeting:
What exactly is the PROBLEM? What are the CAUSES of the philippines business mailing list problem?
What are the possible SOLUTIONS?
What solution do YOU propose?
WHY do you propose that solution?
Yes, even if it seems contrary to what is often said, a good boss has to have the gift of the gab to talk and convince, but above all, he should have an ear ready to listen. The virtue of these questions is that they involve and commit your team to the decisions. If you want to lead well, take the time to ask these questions. No one is rushing you. In addition, you will see that after asking them, 90% of the difficulties or problems will “fall by themselves”, which is very good.
10 Commandments of a good boss
A good boss…
Surround yourself well. Build your team and let them do things. No, it's not more than that! Let them shine. Do you find it difficult to make others shine and not yourself? Don't worry, it's normal. We all try to stand out, but believe me, a good boss not only gives his people space but also makes them proud of their positions.
Makes plans. Directs the institution based on a Plan. In reality, the true leader of the organization is not the boss; it is the Plan. He must have the ability to unite all his people around the Plan. Try to create a real agenda for your organization; that common agenda should contain the responsibilities of each person, their goals and their deadlines.
He “eats the ox little by little.” A good boss doesn’t get bogged down in big things or get discouraged. He knows that he has to “cut up the animal and eat it piece by piece.” This means that to deal with a big problem, he has to break it down into parts and clearly establish who is responsible for solving each of the parts. To deal with complex issues, he has to break them down into workable units, so to speak. Once this is done, we will see that the problem that seemed big is not so big. A French philosopher3 said that one must “distinguish in order to unite.” This motto serves to describe the attitude of a good boss when dealing with large-scale issues.
Be aware of the risks and face them. Be a “highly motivated” boss for plans; but at the same time think about the risks that every Plan entails. And of course, don’t have this attitude because you are bitter or a “party pooper” but simply because you know that there will always be obstacles to achieving things. Be clear that knowing how to overcome these difficulties can be the best guarantee of achieving the results you seek. In some way, a good boss is one who “avoids losing to win.”
Focus. Speaking of avoiding things: being a little lazy doesn't help you at all. Avoid them! Focus on what matters. A good boss has focus. This means that every Monday he thinks about the 3 or 4 important things of the week and shares them with his team.
A good boss concludes and invites his people to finish. Don't let things "go off on a tangent" for too long. After a while, he pulls out a little sign that says, "And then what?" That sign will be a reminder to everyone that they must return to the main topic and conclude.
Learn lessons. A good boss learns from everything that happens. It's almost funny; he goes around repeating and hammering the lessons out loud all over the office. And do you know why he does it like that? Because with this attitude, good things are repeated and eventually become good practices; mistakes, on the other hand, are made only once: with so much "bell-and-whistle" from the boss, everyone is clear about the undesirable practices.
Face the problems. A good boss is problem-driven (without being a grumpy boss, as we've already said!). What does this mean? He starts the day by asking himself what problem he will tackle that day. But a good boss doesn't just attack the obvious problems; that's relatively easy. He has the virtue of taking on with great energy those problems that are floating in the air; those that are not named. The good boss makes them explicit: he calls them by name, throws them on the table and says to his people: "Let's face this issue once and for all! What do we do to solve it?"
It's a pain. A good boss doesn't necessarily have to be a particularly gifted person. If Aladdin, the magic lamp, suddenly appeared to you and offered you three virtues, don't hesitate: ask him to be persistent, then to be persistent, and finally, to be persistent.
A good boss has “people skills . ” If Aladdin is still there, ask him for one last wish: to grant you the gift of people. The ancients called this knowing how to relate well; having influence with people, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. If you don’t have this gift, none of the previous commandments will be of much use to you.
Leadership and People
Talent