Traits of an Effective Boss

By: Jean Paolo G. Lacap

I am so fortunate that I always get in touch with my college friends despite our busy schedules because of differences in work time. I am happy that after we all finished our individual college degrees in 2006, we are all successful (I guess!).

Every time we set a coffee or dinner date, one topic is always present, and that is our bosses/supervisors and how we individually handle the people under our department. I get to learn the different leadership styles and management models that an effective boss/supervisor should exhibit in the workplace. Belonging to diverse industries – some in the corporate world, some in the government, and some in the academe, we get to realize the diversity also in terms of how people should be treated and handled in the workplace.

 

This figure was taken from http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2013/jan/31/university-leader-career-progression-training

In this article I would enumerate the traits of an effective boss based on the collated perspectives of my friends in various industries.

1.    An effective boss knows how to empower people. It is important that from the onset that people in the organization are empowered. It is true that people or human resources are the most vital assets of any organization because without them the operation of the business will be paralyzed. An effective boss must learn how to empower people by trusting and entrusting them with decision necessary for their growth and maturity. Positive reinforcement is an effective tool to gain the trust and confidence of the people. The classical notion of negative reinforcement and too much authoritarian rule in terms of handling manpower may lead to demoralized human resources in which in the long-run may result to departure of great talents to other organizations.

2.    An effective boss knows how to handle petty issues. Issues in the organizations are common, whether big or small. Big issues typically affect the operation of one segment of the organization, and in worst cases, can destroy a major part of the enterprise. One of the traits that a boss should possess is to handle issues very well even if they are minute problems. It is necessary that when an issue arises, the boss must talk it over if it will affect the organization. But there are some issues that have nothing to do with other people thus in this case, the boss must call the attention of the identified talent and talk things over. Instead of putting a meeting on and indirectly talking the issues over where everyone is present, it is much better if these issues will be tackled and settled in much nicer way, closed door, informal discussion with the only people involved. People become anxious and disheartened every time negative things are being brought up in a meeting without prior idea at all of the matter at hand.

3.    An effective boss values the best talents in organization. The reason behind successful organizations is successful talents. In the era of globalization, compensation becomes less of a factor when productive workers are being appreciated and recognized. Keeping these best talents is a hard task. There will be instances where other companies will deal better offers. But this can be avoided if the boss will allow these people express their outstanding skill/knowledge on their respective scope of work in the organization. At the end of the day, what the company wants is to have the best talents that will contribute a lot in the performance of the enterprise.

4.    An effective boss doesn’t meddle on personal issues of his/her people. Issues in the organization have nothing to do with the personal lives of the people. As a boss, he/she needs to learn to separate these two angles. Issues in the workplace should be settled inside the office. The personal life of an employee, as long as it doesn’t not interrupt his/her workplace performance, should never be a factor in handling him/her. Remember, there is more to life outside the four walls of the organization. As a boss, he/she should recognize this in order to avoid conflicts, miscommunications, and workplace clashes.

5.    An effective boss recognizes the best in his/her people. Recognizing the best efforts of the people is the most rewarding aspect of any employee. A simple tap on the shoulder, a simple congratulatory note, or a simple text message or email of thanks means a lot to any worker. Of course monetary or other forms of tangible rewards are really rewarding but sometimes a simple but sincere gesture of kindness matters a lot.

6.    An effective boss molds his/her people to be the best they can become. An effective boss should also be an effective teacher. Like a teacher, he/she teaches his/her people the essential things needed in the attainment of the organizational goals. He/she selfless in shaping his/her people to be the best they can become. Molding and challenging people to become the best are crucial matters. Only those bosses who value people usually have this characteristic. In most cases, the finest way to bring out the best out the people is to share with them the indispensable skills/knowledge needed from them to grow and mature and this can be done through delegation anchored with right treatment in handling them. There is also a thin line between delegation and over delegation. Over delegation leads to work strain which can lead to further complications.

7.    An effective boss knows how to walk the talk. “Practice what you preach” may sound a cliché but this is necessary to effectively manage people. An effective boss shows through his/her actions all the things he/she “preaches” to his/her employees. It is through this that he/she shows true leadership in leading his/her “flock.”  

8.    An effective boss knows that there is no one best way of handling people. An effective boss recognizes diversity in handling people in different situations. As supported by different academic researches, there is no one best way to handle people. In the era of globalization, diverse workforce requires various leadership and management models that will work effectively with people. Each employee is unique thus an effective boss must recognize this matter in order to come up with different ways to handle this diversity.

In the final analysis, the role of a boss in the organization is massive. In can make or break the enterprise. Certainly, there are more traits that an effective boss should possess but as of the moment, the eight (8) identified characteristics are so far the top of our lists. Just always remember, when the boss is effective, there is high probability that his/her people are productive. 

The Business Plan

by: Jean Paolo G. Lacap

With today’s changing market landscape and with the varying demands, needs, and wants of customers, surviving the competition is indeed a hard task. Many successful businesses prospered because of the innovation they have created, the unique and working strategies, and their adaptability to changes in the environment. In order to prosper in the rigid and stiff competition, each enterprise must have competitive advantage. The sources of competitive advantage may come from different factors. One is the business core competencies or the resources of the business that considered unique within the boundary of the enterprise. Thus, competitive advantage may lead to high profitability. It is also important to know how to analyze opportunities in the market and take advantage of it. Exploiting the opportunities in the market may lead to creation of a product that is superior to the existing one and thus may lead to business success.

The Business Planning Process

Establishing a new business venture requires solid planning. Any individual who wishes to come up with a venture needs to learn the fundamentals of business planning. Business planning requires several steps to fulfill it. It is defined as the process in which an entrepreneur formulates a framework to efficiently utilize his/her resources and make sound business decision thus increasing the possibility of business success. The first phase of business planning is product development. In this stage, the entrepreneur brainstorms different unique business ideas based on the analysis of the market. Product development also entails the assessment of the needs and wants of the customers particularly those that are presently not satisfied by the existing enterprises. Thus, environmental scanning is an imperative. Environmental scanning is the process of analyzing the different factors affecting the micro and macro environments of the business. From the different ideas, the entrepreneur selects the best idea by considering various parameters such as: his/her initial capital, manpower requirement, equipment/machinery needed to produce the product concept and so on. The second phase of business planning is product testing. This stage entails piloting the product in the market to test if the customer will like the business concept or not. This stage necessitates in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the product in order to gauge product's viability in the market. In some cases, product concept may conform to minor or major changes depending on the result of product testing. The third stage is strategy formulation. This phase the entrepreneur crafts marketing strategies, human resource strategies, production/operations strategies, and financial strategies. This part still requires further research such as the identification of possible competitors, the substitute products existing in the market, the suppliers, and so on. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis is management tool that can be used in formulation strategies. SWOT analysis is a useful business tool in analyzing the internal environment by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the company and scrutiny of the external environment by recognizing the opportunities and threats in the market. 

 

Figure 1. The Business Planning Process

And fourth stage is the business plan write-up. This phase specifies the different and vital parts of a business plan. A typical business plan includes: executive summary, industry description, marketing aspect, human resource aspect, production/operations aspect, financial aspect, and other pertinent business documents.  And the last phase is editing and proofreading. Since the business plan will serve as the basis of  the entrepreneur in establishing his/her venture, error-free manuscript is necessary. This avoids pitfalls and possible confusions on the part of the entrepreneur.

The Road Less Travelled

by: Jean Paolo G. Lacap

It was in June 2006, immediately after I finished my Bachelor’s degree in Economics when I joined the academe as full-time college instructor of business and economics. At a very young age then, I know exactly what I want to do in life after college and that is to teach.

Teaching really runs in our blood. I have two aunties who are retired public elementary teachers. I have high regard to them even when I was in my primary grade. I see teachers as unique individuals because they have the intelligence to share knowledge to their students and at the same time have the talent to teach children. And basically, I enjoy seeing teachers inside the classroom. Because of that, I knew from the onset that I want to be like them.

At the age of 21, I was hired as a full-time instructor in a college in the province. I know then that my parents don’t want me to be in the teaching arena because they find the profession as a common, mediocre one. They see it as a non-rewarding career (financially speaking, they are right!). But I still pursued my dream.

Journeying my life as a teacher entails huge amount of responsibilities. I am constantly challenging myself to be an effective and efficient teacher. I am certain that I am in the teaching field for the reason that I have the duty to share to young generations what they deserve to learn. I know that I have the obligation to mold these young minds to be better individuals and become productive members of the society.

Every time I see students learning, passing exams, receiving academic and non-academic recognitions, I am the happiest. Those instances are proofs that I chose the right profession. Every time I receive thank you letters and personal messages from students, I am overwhelmed. Those small acts of gratitude are the rewarding aspect of my career. The fact that they learned from me, even a minute thing, means a lot to a teacher like me.

College students are diverse. It is true that there are slow and fast learners. Despite this diversity, one thing is common, once a teacher exhausted the right strategy in teaching, students will learn a lot from the course. Some may ask, what is the right strategy in teaching? The answer is simple: learn how to empathize. I usually ask myself, “If I am a student now, how do I want my teachers to teach me?” And from that, I see to it that every time I am inside the classroom, I am performing as if “it is the last day of my teaching stint!” Thus, teaching is more than passion. I consider it as a lifelong commitment and staunchness to the profession.

I have been in this noblest profession for almost 8 years now. I have handled numerous students from various courses. I have attended so many graduation ceremonies. Definitely saying good bye to students is a hard task to every teacher. But I am certain, that one day, these students will soar high; they will be able to achieve all their dreams. One day I will meet them again successful in their respective fields.

Last April 2014 was the Commencement Exercises of our college. The valedictory speech was given by a BSBA Management and Entrepreneurship student who was also one of the students I coached in various national academic competitions. I expected a usual speech from her, saying thank you to her parents, giving gratitude to the university, telling her humble beginnings, and so on. But hers is a different one. She caught the attention of everyone when she said,

And how would I ever forget, Dr. Jean Paolo G. Lacap, my greatest and at the same time my most difficult mentor. I really had a hard time under your supervision yet you’ve successfully crafted me to be a responsible person, a person with discipline, an aim for excellence and heart for others. At nais ko pong ibahagi sa inyo ang isa sa kanyang mga turo, (And I would like to share to everyone his wisdom) “Once you imbibe excellence on your routine, it is much easier for you to cope and succeed in every struggle that comes along your way”

That moment was I guess the greatest reward I reaped from this profession. It gave me the assurance that I am on the right track and right place and that is the arena of teaching.

Teaching may not be financially rewarding but I am very proud to say that I am a teacher. This is my life! I am indeed thankful for the opportunity of teaching and be able to share my knowledge to the future leaders of this nation. It is a personal goal to shape young minds for them to be productive and proactive members of this country. I am still optimistic that there is hope in changing the political, social, and economic landscape of the Philippines and education is the key.

One day the Philippines will be a great country because the present generation will transform this nation into an outstanding community of intelligent, well-rounded, and capable members of the society. I know I have a duty to shape students to be excellent government and business leaders. It is truly an honor to serve this nation and be an instrument of positive change.

 I am so sure that teaching is the destined profession for me. I hope that there will be more young brilliant minds who will consider the road less travelled - teaching.