How do you know you're a good boss?

[clintofio]

I'm relatively new at being a boss... but find an ever-growing number of people employed by me nowadays...

How do you know when you're successful as a boss? What is your measure of success? I want to be the best boss I can be so I'd appreciate your feedback.

For now, I'm thinking I'll consider myself a good boss when everyone that directly answers to me can achieve all their dreams for their life without having to quit their job to achieve them.

[strengverboten]

When you have a business full of hard working people that do so not out of fear but out of respect I'd say that's a pretty good indicator that you're doing good by them.

People don't go the extra mile for a jerk - they go the extra mile becuase you've done so for them and because you so set a good example.

Are they happy to be there? Are they working to move up? Are they pushing the product like its their own?

If they are then I'd again say you're doing well with them...

[Mr. Anthony]

When bonuses are handed out in the form of battle rifles instead of extra checks. :)

[JeffC]

Over the last 30+ years I have had hundreds of people who reported to me both directly and indirectly. I take pride in the fact that some of my earliest employees became my friends and stayed in touch over all those years. In my current consulting business I have not had any staff turnover in the last 9 years, a feat which is quite difficult in the IT business.

I relate my success with employees to the fact that I am scrupulously honest with my people. I work with them to grow their abilities and talents and while forgiving of honest error, I am completely unwilling to deal with immoral or unethical business practices. On the other hand, I will go to the mat for them if they are right and I have fired more than one client for accusing my people of things I know they did not do. My staff makes mistakes, but they don't lie and they don't cover up their mistakes. Neither do I. We work as a team.

Similar to Gabe, I do not tolerate troublemakers or liars. His "distance from disorder" quote is as good a mantra as I have seen in running staff.

You will not always get the right people when growing a business and staff turnover is to be expected. The old adage of setting the example by your actions should be taken seriously. The keepers will rise to the top. Cherish those people and cull the bottom of the stack quickly and efficiently before they can spread their habits.

Hire like minded people. That doesn't always mean that you will agree on everything but it does mean that your thinking about a process will gel when discussed. Look for solutions not blame.

Take care of your staff as though you want them to stay with you. They will notice it. Those that don't, get rid of them as fast as possible.

The hardest lesson I have learned is that people really don't change. They can be taught new skills but the person remains the same. If you hire good people they will always be good people. The reverse is also true no matter how hard that you wish it was not.

I am not filthy rich. That was not my goal. But I am surrounded by people who are truly family and we have a very good life with very little strife. I take it back, I am rich :grin:

All of this is available to anyone who can set an example and lead others to follow that example. It doesn't seem hard but it often isn't obvious. Good luck. It sounds like you are on your way.

-jeff

[Grey Man]

when people go the extra mile for you and offer to stick around and help out with personal stuff, when your crew talks to you as a person and not a boss. I'm sure there are those who will disagree with me.

[clintofio]

Great post JeffC!

[JeffC]

Great post JeffC!

Thanks bro. I have been watching you since you first announced that you were going into business and your success is phenomenal. You are on the right track and you are asking the right questions. Keep going my friend, I think you have what it takes.

-jeff

[Mark Hatfield]

Seems like most all of the bad bosses I've had thought they were great.

[Foxpup]

Seems like most all of the bad bosses I've had thought they were great.

Absolutely. I quit bc of a bad boss. "Unhappy soldiers vote with their feet." Your turnover and sick day patterns will tell you a lot! When people are unhappy they call in sick a lot. They'll also quit in drives if you're doing a crap job.
also, pay attention to nonverbal cues and things like their work areas: happy employees show more investment in their workspace (in general) cubicle workers tell you a lot- if they look like they've moved in they're happy. Lots of photos,etc. a lack of that shows they'll leave at a moments notice.

the very fact that you're asking this question tells me you're most likely a good boss.

[Netpackrat]

I learned what kind of boss my dad was when I was in high school. He was the general manager of a small business in a small town, which was owned by somebody from out of town who wasn't involved in running the business. One day the owner's attorney showed up with a new general manager in tow, and fired my dad. The rest of the crew quit on the spot, almost instantly. My dad did not ask them to do this and probably would have advised them against it had he known ahead of time what was coming. But, they never gave him the chance. The new guy was left holding the bag, with customers coming in needing service, calling on the phone, etc, with only the most rudimentary idea of how the work was actually done, and no labor with which to accomplish it. At the end of the day, when all was said and done, Dad had a new job title... owner.

Mind you, he didn't go looking for any of that to happen, but if your people are willing to go to the mat for you, to the point of putting their own livelihoods on the line, you probably know something about motivating your people.

[TFA303]

Some of it is, I think, like being a parent: If you're thinking about whether you're doing well enough, you're probably on the right track.

When I was in a position to hire folks at my last job, I hired four men. Three of them outrank me now, and one is the same paygrade as I am. That's one very gratifying way I know I did a good job.

[OdieWon]

Hiring the right people is as critical as the way you treat them. It's a huge variable that greatly affects your success as a "boss".

You want people with integrity, and the right KIND of work ethic for the job you're hiring them for. Example, some people will go nuts stuffing widgets into boxes, and some people will do it for 30 years and couldn't be happier. There's a personality type for every job. One common problem is in small companies each employee is called on to wear more hats. In that case it's even more critical to find the right person for the job, as they not only will need to be a veritable superhero in the beginning, but will likely you will have to pour a lot into them to accomplish this. And THAT is going to want to make you keep these employees to fill senior staff spots as the company grows.

I believe there is a dangerous spot when a company is trying to grow past that key moment where the key employees are all you have, but the business has grown to the point where things need to be restructured and you need more employees.

It seems to be a pinch point for a lot of business.

[OdieWon]

And of course you have to decide if you're the guy who hires people just like himself, or if you're the guy who hires people with a different perspective hoping that they will challenge you. It's a tough call. But it can be an EASY call if you're already focused on killing sacred cows.

[Jack Rumbaugh]

Allow your employees to be adults. The best bosses I have ever had made me aware of what was expected of me and turned me loose to do my job. When I was a boss, I did the same thing. This is what I expect, now go and do. I hate having to be manager because someone has to have someone tell them every little thing to do or won't follow simple directions. I will fire someone that I have to micromanage.

[michael]

Over the last 30+ years I have had hundreds of people who reported to me both directly and indirectly. I take pride in the fact that some of my earliest employees became my friends and stayed in touch over all those years. In my current consulting business I have not had any staff turnover in the last 9 years, a feat which is quite difficult in the IT business.

I relate my success with employees to the fact that I am scrupulously honest with my people. I work with them to grow their abilities and talents and while forgiving of honest error, I am completely unwilling to deal with immoral or unethical business practices. On the other hand, I will go to the mat for them if they are right and I have fired more than one client for accusing my people of things I know they did not do. My staff makes mistakes, but they don't lie and they don't cover up their mistakes. Neither do I. We work as a team.

Similar to Gabe, I do not tolerate troublemakers or liars. His "distance from disorder" quote is as good a mantra as I have seen in running staff.

You will not always get the right people when growing a business and staff turnover is to be expected. The old adage of setting the example by your actions should be taken seriously. The keepers will rise to the top. Cherish those people and cull the bottom of the stack quickly and efficiently before they can spread their habits.

Hire like minded people. That doesn't always mean that you will agree on everything but it does mean that your thinking about a process will gel when discussed. Look for solutions not blame.

Take care of your staff as though you want them to stay with you. They will notice it. Those that don't, get rid of them as fast as possible.

The hardest lesson I have learned is that people really don't change. They can be taught new skills but the person remains the same. If you hire good people they will always be good people. The reverse is also true no matter how hard that you wish it was not.

I am not filthy rich. That was not my goal. But I am surrounded by people who are truly family and we have a very good life with very little strife. I take it back, I am rich :grin:

All of this is available to anyone who can set an example and lead others to follow that example. It doesn't seem hard but it often isn't obvious. Good luck. It sounds like you are on your way.

-jeff

Well-said, Jeff. You are the right kind of boss and are doing things the right way, hence you have low turnover and have led many.

[Mickey Rourke]

Allow your employees to be adults. The best bosses I have ever had made me aware of what was expected of me and turned me loose to do my job. When I was a boss, I did the same thing. This is what I expect, now go and do. I hate having to be manager because someone has to have someone tell them every little thing to do or won't follow simple directions. I will fire someone that I have to micromanage.I agree 100% with this.

My dad (contractor/carpenter) was a good boss by all accounts of the men who worked for him. I was too young to really know.

I had a senior NCO when I was in the USAF who was a good role model for me. He would stand with you all the way up the chain of command if you were right. If you were wrong, he was the first in line to kick your @$$.

[Jack Rumbaugh]

My best bosses were NCOs. Best by far was a grumpy, retired AF E-9. Those that were officers in a past life? Not so much. The one retired AF Capt. was way cool. The Major and Lt. Col., not so much. I wanted to frag both of them by the time I left.

[Mickey Rourke]

When I was still active I had a cool Captain - into Harleys and Mustangs :smile:

[gatorgrizz27]

Having worked for many small businesses, taking care of your employees and treating them with respect goes a long way. Small things like brining in lunch once in awhile for everyone or telling a guy that stayed late to wrap something up to come it at 10 the next day goes a long way towards making them feel that you care. Don't ever make empty promises, good or bad. The number of times I've seen a boss offer a bonus for something and not deliver, or threaten to fire someone if they didn't do "X" are too many to count. Staying involved enough that your workers don't start slacking off, while not watching them constantly and riding them too hard is the most difficult thing to balance.


There are certain people that will never be happy with the wages you pay them and always expect more, don't trouble yourself with them. Also, this should go with out saying, but discussion of wages or salary amongst employees should be grounds for firing. Nothing will give a worker a bad attitude faster than learning that someone he thinks is on his level is earning more than him. Finally, make it clear that raises are based on performance and commitment, not necessarily with time spent with the company.


One last thing: it helps for your employees to be able to come to you directly with any concerns or questions, and feel that they are being heard.

[WVShooter]

When people ask for transfers to work for you.
Then when they thank you later.

[M1A's r Best]

I like to think I was/am a good boss.

When I was in production/factory work 25 years ago my teams set records that have never been surpassed to this day. What worked for me? Well, it was a widespread area with multiple types of jobs needing to be done.

1. Not everyone is good at, or likes to do the same jobs. So talk to them and find out what they like to do and then give them the opportunity to excell at it. Some people like to clean. Some people like to trouble shoot equipment/process issues. Some people like to tackle problems that seem to be stumping everyone else. Help them grow by helping them do what they want to do and do it better.

2. Everyone makes mistakes. If someone tells you they don't make mistakes they are lying or they don't do anything. The important thing about mistakes is to learn from them and don't keep making the same ones. And then share what you learned with everyone else.

3. In every group of people you'll have a few that will not only do what you asked of them but when they get done with the immediate assignment they will look for other work that needs to be done and get to it. You don't need to ride them, watch them - just tell them what you want and turn them loose. You have a larger group that will do exactly what you ask, no more, no less. Spend enough time with them to develop them to contact you when they get done with that immediate job to find out what else needs to be done. Then, on the bottom end you have a few that seem to spend more effort trying to get out of work than if they'd just do the job in the first place. Those are the ones you need to spend time watching, working on to get more out of them. Some will rise up, some won't. Do what you can to remove the ones with no desire or no vision from the group because they just hurt everyone else's future. And praise them for their work. Let them know when you notice the job they are getting done and pass on the compliments you receive from those above you about the teams performance. In everything. Safety, efficiency, accuracy, etc. Let them know that everyone sees the results of their work and appreciates it.

4. Be honest with them.

5. Remove the roadblocks that get in their way.

I'm not in first line supervision anymore. I've tried to get back into as the politics and BS of an all daylight job makes it a nightmare for honest people. But I know I made a difference with folks because people that worked for me 15 to 25 years ago still call me "boss" when they come up to me on the production floor or the cafeteria and want to talk to me. Man I wish I could get back to those days sometimes. It was so much more satisfying to help folks getting the job done than to attend the endless meetings of the daylight world.

[Mr. Anthony]

M1A, those are good words there. Good info on this thread as a whole.

[TrojanSkyCop1]

My best bosses were NCOs. Best by far was a grumpy, retired AF E-9. Those that were officers in a past life? Not so much. The one retired AF Capt. was way cool. The Major and Lt. Col., not so much. I wanted to frag both of them by the time I left.


--Jack,

Bit of a tangent here, but just FYI in the USAF (at least within the Security Forces career field), it's considered a cultural taboo to refer to a Chief Master Sergeant as an "E-9," even though that is his/her pay grade, just as you don't want to refer to a Chief as just plain "Sergeant" either.

That said, overall, I'd have to concur that my experience with my enlisted bosses was more positive than my ossifer bosses.