You’ll realize that meeting the standards of a perfect boss isn’t always possible
Everyone has their idea of a perfect boss. When it comes to actually becoming the boss, you realize that meeting these standards aren’t always possible, especially when you have so many responsibilities to look after and seemingly so little time to do them. Every manager should be constantly looking for ways to improve their management style. Here are some great ways to get better at being boss.
Here are 6 great ways to get better at being boss.Click To Tweet
Offer staff incentives to work
No, getting paid is not enough of an incentive. A good boss will take actions to make work easier, or at least more fun, so that the reward outweighs the stress. This could involve perks such as a company car and company discounts, free lunches or just a very relaxed and happy office environment. Another good incentive is to set up goals that are rewarded with bonuses. Make sure these goals are achievable, otherwise your employees won’t bother pursuing them. And don’t suddenly move the goalposts midyear – stick to the original plan so that people know that you mean what you say.
Recognize employee strengths
Certain employees will be more adept at certain tasks. A good manager uses their individual team members to their best abilities. Every worker will have something that they are good at (and if not then they probably shouldn’t be working there). Don’t just randomly assign tasks and show your employees that you’ve recognized their strengths (and make sure you verbalize it to them).
Outsource grueling tasks
There may be some long and grueling tasks that neither you nor your staff have the time or know-how to carry out efficiently. This is where spending a little extra money to outsource other companies to the task may come in handy. Commonly outsourced jobs involve cleaning, accountancy, marketing and maintenance – but you can practically outsource anything.
Be hands on
Whilst delegating tasks is important, it’s important not to take a full back seat on your business. Try to find some time to do some hands on work and lead by example. If admin work is preventing you from doing this, see if you can outsource any of this. Make sure you’re interacting with your staff so that you’re one of the team, and that you’re not isolating yourself in your office.
Take a leadership course
Sometimes it may be handy to take some form of leadership course, just to give you that extra bit of expertise and confidence. This could be anything from a small workshop to a full degree. You don’t have to take time off to study – you can get qualifications that you can study from home such as a masters in organizational leadership online. Having such a qualification may also make you more credible to new staff.
Do team building exercises
Get to know your team and liven up comradely by organizing team building exercises. These could be something as elaborate as a team-building day out or could be something as small as a group office activity. Social events can be very motivating – especially Christmas parties. Just make sure you don’t drink yourself and embarrass yourself in the process.
