Seven Truths for Bosses 631.3
Here are seven truths I’ve discovered in my struggles to be an effective boss:
- It’s not what you say that matters; it’s what people hear. Just because you said it doesn't mean they heard it. Just because you wrote it doesn’t mean they read it. Be sure your message is received and understood.
- There are lots of things you don’t know and lots of people who hope you don’t find out. The boss rarely hears the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. You’ve got to walk around, look around, listen, and ask direct questions.
- Hire for character, train for skills. Integrity, responsibility, and the ability to work with others are vital competencies. You’ve got to screen out or weed out people you can’t believe or rely on or who are toxic to the team.
- Settling for warm bodies turns one problem into two. You still have to get someone who’s right for the job, but first you have to deal with and remove the wrong person. If you can’t find the time to do it right, when will you find the time to do it over?
- What you allow, you encourage. If you don’t enforce your values and rules, they’re not your values and they’re not rules.
- Doing nothing is doing something. Indecision and inaction cause as much harm as poor decisions. Indecisiveness is incompetence.
- It’s all about relationships. Your most important job is to get the most out of the people who work with you. You’ve got to be ready to be a boss, motivator, mentor, counselor, disciplinarian, or friend.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
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Comments
The only thing I would add is "Everyone is motivated differently. Get to know those you work with, especially those who work for you. Let them know you care about them as a person. There's a big difference between them having to work hard and wanting to work hard. Make your business relationships personal relationships."
Posted by: Robert Matheson | August 13, 2009 10:27 PM
And...if you follow all seven of these truths...do two more things toward your staff. First, trust them. They are adults. They don't need you looking over their shoulders constantly like little children you can't trust. Just give them deadlines and let them do their job. If they don't meet deadlines, and you followed these seven truths - especially hiring people for character - as professionals in whatever field, they will probably be harder on themselves than you would ever be for not getting the job done on time. Second, be kind to them. Recognize that you may know some of the battles they are fighting in their lives outside of work, but you probably don't know them all...nor should you. Know, too, that it is practically impossible to completely separate our lives outside of work from our work. Mr. Josephson's Kindness Quotations included the following quote from Philo, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." So just cut your staff some slack when the day(s) seems difficult for them. They'll always remember that kindness...and they'll work that much harder for you in the future because of that kindness, as the days, weeks, and years go by.
Posted by: Don | August 14, 2009 4:57 PM
The most important thing every employer should remember comes from Abe Lincoln:
"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration." Lincoln's First Annual Message to Congress, December 3, 1861.
So be thankful for your employees. They owe you nothing and you owe them your very livelihood.
Posted by: GetOfffMyBack | August 16, 2009 7:52 AM