"An employee's motivation is a direct result of the sum of interactions with his or her manager." – Bob Nelson.
Believe it or not, people tend to underestimate the importance of a good boss too often. While there could be many factors to drive an employee contributes his best knowledge and attitude towards his job, one major factor is a supportive boss. According to a study, most millennials decide to take up a job for a good boss rather than a good salary. In the day-to-day juggle to achieve work-life integration, managers can really enhance an employee's experience and satisfaction. Not only that, effective bosses can drive employees to receive performance appraisals by boosting team motivation and raising productivity levels. Without much ado, here's a walkthrough of characteristics of an effective boss that bring different results every time.
10 Traits of an Effective Boss
1. Excellent Communication
Leaders know how to talk their way with their subordinates and manage workplace stress. It is how they communicate, preach the organization's vision, and align them with the individual's goals that bring the desired outcome. The value you create through tacit communication and acknowledging the individual efforts engage them to contribute better in their respective roles. It's imperative that you believe in your strategy, team, and yourself while you delegate matters and wear the leader cap.
2. Build Trust From the Beginning
How do you know who the right fit for the position is? Well, that's something that the job interview and your intuition can do. Do not look for fancy backgrounds when you hire. The crucial factor is to check the individual's attitude and enthusiasm for the job they are being hired for. One of the essential traits of an effective boss is to build trust in the candidate from the very beginning.
3. Be Honest About Your Expectations
It is not wrong to be open to your employees; on the contrary; it gives them accountability. More often, with things left unsaid, employees feel stressed and they worry if something's wrong with them. Give constructive feedback and train your employees for any shortcomings that they depict. An effective boss knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way to their employees.
4. Indulge In Fun Too
The traits of an effective boss involve bringing the team together, indulging in fun activities, and rewarding employees when they deserve it. Post pandemic, people have been caged at homes, getting devoid of regular social interaction. Virtual celebrations in a remote setup are something that can add value to your leadership while encouraging your team to put in their best work. Examples of virtual fun you can create are online music concerts, virtual tea parties, event conferences, etc.
5. Stand Up for Your People
Effective bosses make it a point to stand up for their employees no matter what. They understand that when employees are trusted and respected, they consider the organization their own and contribute better quality work. Apart from enhancing the diverse team and believing in each employee, effective bosses also bar any interference from the management. They take the very first step to sort out the internal issues.
6. Accepting Mistakes
To err is human but to acknowledge is wisdom. A leader understands and accepts their employees for the mistakes they make. They assess the causes without blaming the employees. The best way to keep the enthusiasm alive in employees is to give them a platform and let them innovate. The traits of an effective boss also include being a good decision-maker. They may not be pro, but they must depict conviction in their approach. No one has ever achieved success without moments of failure.
7. Reward Employees
Recognizing employee efforts and sharing credit is one of the crucial characteristics of an effective boss. They use different channels to applaud employees like email, via incentives, in events, or luncheons. Most employees feel good with their roles only because of the acknowledgment they receive for their contributions.
8. Consider Ethics More Important
An effective boss always follows ethical standards and policies and gives more importance to the well-being of the employees. They improve manager effectiveness at the company by giving back to the employees.
9. A Genuine Listener
An effective boss is a genuine listener to the pleas and success of their employees. Their innate trait of compassion goes way beyond words, and they do everything possible to make employees feel they belong to the organization. They are always willing to understand what employees need in their day-to-day activities.
10. Give More Value to Actions
One of the essential traits of an effective boss is to be more focused on action than implying authority. Leaders walk the highway and manage without manipulation before putting their employees on track. This also empowers them to understand employees' situations better and provide solutions quickly.
What Not To Do?
Apart from exerting more influence than authority over employees, the traits of an effective boss exclude criticism and comments. You have to minimize the shotgun feedback method because being so blunt does good to no one. Blanket emails and frustration over the team's underperformance are types of behaviors that a leader should deliberately avoid. Your job is to appreciate your employees' efforts rather than question their intentions at every facet.
As a leader, you have a bigger responsibility to mold your people to become better personally and professionally. If you find them more interested in their jobs, enthused about taking up more projects, and sharing breakthrough ideas, then your job is almost done! So, are you an effective boss?
Shellye is committed to helping people from diverse backgrounds achieve their careers and life aspirations. The content published above was made in collaboration with our members.
Shellye Archambeau is determined to help you with all possible strategies to climb the ladder of success. She values your feedback. Do mention them in the comment section below.