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.