How To Be A Good Boss – Strategies To Adopt This Year

Written By Shahzaib Arshad

The “Best Boss Mugs” don’t ever come easy; you have to earn them. It isn’t about delivering good results or producing great work; to be a good boss is more than that.

A good boss knows it’s all about meeting a crucial organizational goal to retain the best talent.

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How To Be A Good Boss – 14 Strategies To Adopt

If you want to be a good boss, it should be important for you to achieve greatness at work as much as it is for the company.

Most of the people leave their jobs because of bad bosses. A study shows that many people left their jobs because they didn’t get enough support from their boss.

If you want to keep yourself out of this list of bad bosses, follow the given strategies to keep your team happy.

1. Show Care To The People

The most powerful trait of a good boss is to show care. People wonder that their bosses care about them or not.

A boss who cares about his employees is considered to be the most effective one.

A Good Boss Is The One Who Cares
Show Care To The People

In the growing industrial age, it’s a trend to exploit labor to the greatest possible extent.

The organizations which are succeeding know that the culture is a strategic advantage.

2. Build Trust With Your Employees

To be a good boss, you’ll have to work on building trust in your team. In an environment where there is trust, it’s easier to communicate and perform better.

Building trust isn’t easy, but being honest can help you here. Show transparency in any situation; even if the news is bad, don’t hide it from your team.

You always have to be fair and look closely at the motives of the team rather than judging them.

Show empathy if someone is having a hard time. Don’t be shy to ask them if they need any help.

3. Discover New Ways To Motivate People

You should set some standards related to productivity and professionalism in the company.

Do your best to make sure that everyone meets the standards. Yet, if these standards aren’t satisfied, don’t blame the poor performance.

Motivate Your Employees Using New Strategies
Discover New Ways To Motivate People

It can lead to so many problems throughout the organization. But don’t let these standards fall either.

Strengthen the partnership between you and your team and accept challenges.

4. How To Be A Good Boss – Develop Self Awareness

A boss who knows how to develop self-awareness also knows how to build social awareness.

Social awareness will help you to pick up the differences and disengagements.

After a meeting ends, take a walk around the table and ask each of the employees how they feel.

It will give you an insight into the emotional temperature of the team so you can make adjustments.

5. Inspire Your Employees

You have to inspire your people at work by showing commitment and passion. If your team is in love with their work, they just need a bit of help from your side to shine brighter.

How To Be A Good Boss
Inspire Your Employees

Communicate your vision to your employees, so they know they are a part of your plan.

Also, tell them how your ideas will work and what these will offer in the end.

Share knowledge as much as you can with your employees and always give honest feedback.

6. How To Be A Good Boss – Be Clear About Your Expectations

Nothing frustrates a worker more than knowing he gave his best only to be told what he delivered wasn’t expected.

People love to feel a sense of accomplishment at work. If you and your team aren’t sure about the achievements, you guys aren’t going to be successful.

So always set clear expectations before you assign a new project or task. And set regular check-ins to know that you and your team are on the same page.

7. Avoid Micromanagement

Most of the bosses think that by controlling the process, they’re good bosses.

But it isn’t true; too much control seems more like micromanagement. Your team will get fed up with it instead of being in your control.

Good Bosses Never Micromanage
Avoid Micromanagement

What should you do then? You need to communicate your goals and expectations clearly.

Good bosses know how to increase their effectiveness by coaching the outcomes. They never believe in micromanagement.

8. Always Deliver Open And Honest Feedback

Every person has some weaknesses and space to grow more. But they can’t recognize it by themselves until someone highlights it for them.

At times, we see room for growth in other people, but we don’t speak up because of the fear of hurting their feelings.

But a boss has the best opportunity to talk about such weaknesses. To be a good boss, you need to share this information as soon as you realize it.

So that your employees can make a plan to work on these areas.

9. Learn What Your Employees Need

Being humans, we have some practical and personal needs. Our practical needs are used to determine the progress and level of performance.

How To Be A Good Boss
Learn What Your Employees Need

On the other side, personal needs are the ones that make us feel valued and supported.

The perfect boss is the one who will take care of his employees’ needs and support them to the fullest.

10. Help Employees To Develop Themselves And Their Careers

A fantastic boss always sets up his employees for success and not for failure. If you really want to be a good boss, you should train them to get the full potential.

Only then will your team be able to meet and exceed the standards which you have set.

You should motivate them and help them to recognize their strengths. If possible, incorporate what drives them into their daily tasks.

11. How To Be A Good Boss – Acknowledge Good Performance

To acknowledge good performance is the best way to keep your team motivated.

When good things happen in your company, let the employees know early and often.

How To Be A Good Boss
How To Be A Good Boss – Acknowledge Good Performance

You should recognize the efforts of productive employees and announce their contributions publicly.

Encourage and sustain good talent by showing your employees how much their efforts get appreciated.

Acknowledgment is more motivating than bonuses are.

12. Delegate More Often

Engage your employees by providing them enough opportunities to grow in their career.

So believe in the rule of delegating whatever you can and wherever you can. Set up a proper plan to delegate tasks to your employees.

Always find opportunities to maximize the strengths of your employees.

13. Give Your Employees The Freedom To Be Themselves

If you don’t accept your employees for who they are, they won’t be comfortable working with you.

Let Your Employees Be The Best Version Of Themselves
Give Your Employees The Freedom To Be Themselves

Let them be themselves and perform their best. If your company can work well without a dress code, don’t impose one.

Encourage your team often to talk about their passions. You should put trust in them and let them decide how to achieve their goals.

Also, encourage and motivate them to be responsible for their work and own their mistakes.

14. How To Be A Good Boss – Value Their Feedback

If your team is imperfect, so can be you! And anyone else around too, because no one of us can ever be perfect in life.

We all make mistakes, but successful people accept and learn from their mistakes.

Develop a culture in your company where open and honest feedback isn’t taboo.

Also, be ready to accept feedback; even if it isn’t pleasant, take it as an opportunity to grow.

Seek Feedback From Your Employees And Learn From It
How To Be A Good Boss – Value Their Feedback

Encourage your employees to give feedback by asking them questions related to your performance.

For instance, you can ask, “Is there something you’d like to change in our team?”

12 Ideal Ways To Be A Better Boss 

We know effective bosses are the ones who are in a constant state of becoming a better boss.

But the tips for being a better boss are still hidden somewhere.

Let’s explore these tips together and learn something great.

1. Attend Some Communication Classes To Be A Better Boss

Communication is the key to better relations. You can’t connect to your employees unless you are a great communicator.

Good communication skills are a must-have.

Your great plans aren’t going to be of any use until you communicate them to your employees.

How To Be A Better Boss
Attend Some Communication Classes To Be A Better Boss

Tell your employees about your expectations and make them follow your roadmap.

You can refine as a communicator by strengthening your listening game. Also, gather the points where you are lacking and start working on them.

Recall all those times when you couldn’t get your point understood properly.

2. Make Practicable Objectives – How To Be A Better Boss

Being a boss, you’ll always have too much on your plate to achieve. But don’t get frustrated and confused.

Focus on doing what you should do. Manage the flow of the organization and let everything run smoothly.

Develop Those Objectives Which Are Possible To Achieve
Make Practicable Objectives – How To Be A Better Boss

Develop some sensible objectives and work on achieving them. Instead of creating chaos around you, give time to the specified goals.

So you can be victorious and confident for the next time.

3. To Be A Better Boss You Should Give Constructive Feedback

Every one of us makes mistakes, but you need to learn from them to be successful.

So let your employees learn from their mistakes. Constructive feedback is a motivating force that brings everything back to track.

If you give constructive feedback to your employees, they’ll try to improve.

Build People By Giving Enthusiastic Feedback
To Be A Better Boss You Should Give Constructive Feedback

Being committed to work, they’ll take feedback to enhance their performance even more.

Remember to keep your feedback meaningful and precise instead of overstating.

Go with this great tip to be a better boss by directing your team from time to time.

4. Stop Being A Dictator Is A Great Way To Be A Better Boss

Being a boss doesn’t mean at all that people need to follow whatever you say.

You are going to ruin everything by dictating your employees to respect your authority.

Be a leader and lead from the front to inspire people working under you. Encourage them through your actions that they try to be like you.

Never Try To Enforce Your Authority To Be A Better Boss
Stop Being A Dictator Is A Great Way To Be A Better Boss

If you look forward to being a great leader, then help others to connect to their goals.

If your employees know what to achieve, they’ll be more responsible. Working with more enthusiasm, they’ll contribute to the betterment of the organization.

5. Look At Your Performance – How To Be A Better Boss

A boss has his journey and struggle. Working above someone gives him more autonomy.

It means as a boss; you’ll have to be more responsible than before. You’ll have to work for the growth of your employees as well as groom yourself too.

Be A Better Boss By Assessing Yourself First
Look At Your Performance – How To Be A Better Boss

A person can inspire others only when he has something great to offer. Begin with identifying your weaknesses and turn these into your favor.

Your performance matters a lot because other people are looking at you.

So if you are successful, it means the whole team is on the path to success.

6. Find New Ways To Motivate People

Motivation can come from several different ways. Some of your employees might get motivation by working in a team.

While others might be more motivated for their career growth.

It’s your job as a boss to see in what conditions your employees are more productive.

Motivation Is A Key Factor In Being A Better Boss
Find New Ways To Motivate People

Research says that the best bosses are those with whom people can feel positive vibes.

The ones who don’t feel the need to be the boss and use their authority.

Make your employees feel that you’ve got their back. This is the best approach for motivating people.

Try not to be one of those bosses who hinder the growth of their employees. And steal the credit for work done by employees.

It leaves a bad impact on the organization as a whole.

7. Being A Better Boss Requires You To Be Synergistic

Don’t you think a more collaborative boss is more interesting to work with? Sounds great. Right?

The reason is they are creating a bond between everyone.

And do this without taking the credit for it. Thinking to be one such boss?

Then you have to be the channel that lets the information flow.

If you’ll do this and the information flows through the whole team. It will have a positive effect on everyone working there.

Make The Results Better By Adding Value To Work
Being A Better Boss Requires You To Be Synergistic

Furthermore, this approach will increase the productivity of the business.

Remember that being a boss doesn’t make you the most innovative person. Embrace the ideas coming from other people and let your employees invent themselves.

8. Don’t Interfere With Your Team All The Time

A good boss doesn’t need to be stick to his team all the time. So step back when there is no need for you to interfere.

Giving some space to your employees is necessary. It will let them explore new ways rather than following the same old beaten path.

If you’ll keep interfering with your team by asking them random questions. Or throwing unnecessary deadline recalls.

Then there is a probability that things won’t work well.

So don’t interfere without a need to remind them that you are the boss.

Consider being flexible and let them make their own ways. 

9. Let Employees Maintain Work-Life Balance To Be A Better Boss

Won’t it be fair to say we all are more productive when we are happy? Of course, it does.

Being a boss, it’s justified to think you should have the full attention of your employees. But remember that they have families and a life outside of work.

How To Be A Better Boss
Let Employees Maintain Work-Life Balance To Be A Better Boss

Give your employees some space to create a balance in their work and life. So they don’t leave the job because of a mess in their lives.

It’s also your responsibility as a boss to keep a check on your employees. Is their mental wellbeing okay? Are they doing fine outside the work?

Take some time to ask them what’s wrong. It will help them overcome personal issues and perform better at work.

10. Developing Your Replacement Will Make You A Better Boss

Succession is an element of the business. A good boss should know how to find someone to fill your shoe.

And planning succession is not as easy as it seems. One should identify the skills required to fulfill the goals in the longer-term.

So that after the executives are gone, the leadership continues to exist.

Keep The Things Go In A Flow While Trying To Be A Better Boss
Developing Your Replacement, Will Make You A Better Boss

To be a good boss, you’ll have to make sure that the process runs even after you leave.

Make an effective succession plan and identify how to enlarge the pool for the talent you are finding.

Don’t follow the old path and keep filling the same hole.

11. Give Your Team A Relief

You can’t put your team in the grinder and expect them to give the best results.

If you look forward to being a better boss, let your team have some fun to reduce their stress.

No doubt, the workplace has a stressful environment. But some companies are nailing the art of making it all fun.

Let Your Employees Breathe In Open Air
Give Your Team A Relief

For instance, people working at Google are happier than people working somewhere else.

This is because Google lets them enjoy free food and transport and gives free time.

Come up with some new ideas to light up your workplace. Make it easy by making it fun!

12. To Be A Better Boss You Have To Be Light-Footed

Tie your laces and bend down to run the race. Be vigorous enough to adapt to the changes coming your way.

You can’t keep ranting over the past; this position would demand you to be pro-active.

Run Before You Get Left Out
To Be A Better Boss, You Have To Be Light-Footed

So trying to be a better boss, you must have to be flexible towards differences. Welcome everyone and embrace their ideas.

You’ll be responsible for decision-making. So ensure to take adjustable and innovative decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Qualities Make A Good Boss?

Communicate your vision and set performance expectations from your employees. You should provide them honest and constructive feedback. Also, show support to your employees and recognize their efforts.

How Can I Be A Good Leader And Boss?

Being a good leader and a boss requires you to be always humble. Communicate and share with others what you are trying to achieve. Listen to your people and ask for their feedback. Think strategically and turn the singular into plural.

What Do The Best Bosses Do?

Good bosses empower their employees by giving them the authority to create new ideas. Great bosses don't believe in keeping the traditional working style and status quo.

How Can A Small Business Be A Good Boss?

Be genuinely interested in your employees and learn what they want in life. Give feedback to your employees and let them know how they're doing. Take your responsibility, and remember that employees don't own the business, but you do.

Conclusion

To be a boss is already a tough job; on top of that, there isn’t any hard and fast rule for being a good boss.

There aren’t any pre-defined qualities of a good boss, and no one knows how to do it right.

Some people are natural leaders by birth, and they know better how to take out the best version of each employee.

But most of us have to learn how to be a good boss. For this purpose, we have to instill this ability to find the role for each employee that matches their personality.

Let us know about your thoughts in the comment section below.

Last Updated on 1 month by Saad

Shahzaib Arshad
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