Tag: Boss

5 Skills That All Great Bosses Have

Three focuses of my blog are Career Discussions, Organizational/Management Discussions and Workplace Discussions. Many people aspire to workplace leadership but don’t understand what goes into being a good boss. Many people furthermore aspire to be great bosses but don’t have the skills. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Skills That All Great Bosses Have.

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Being a boss isn’t just about telling people what to do- you have to master a number of important skills. Here five key skills you need to develop if you want to succeed.

Clear Communication

Communication is important in all aspects of life, we need to be able to understand each other and get our point across in a way that makes sense to us and others to succeed. But as a boss, it’s more important than ever because people are taking your direction. Without clear communication skills there could be confusion or things could be misconstrued, losing time, money or even damaging your company’s reputation. Great bosses are excellent at communicating, they make sure everyone understands what they’re saying. During meetings, they explain things clearly so everyone knows what to do. They also give feedback that helps people improve. When everyone communicates well, work goes smoothl- for example, if there’s a new project, they might gather everyone together to discuss it so everyone is on the same page. They’d explain what needs to be done and answer any questions, that way everyone knows their role and feels confident in their tasks.

Understanding Others

Being good at understanding how other people feel will always differentiate a good boss from a great one. Great bosses take time to listen when someone needs help, if someone is stressed about work, they might offer support or point them in the direction of where they can go to resolve their issues. They also know what each person is good at and what they might need help with. By caring about their team, they make everyone feel like they belong. To have a successful team of employees, the boss needs to care about their wellbeing- and this can extend to outside of work too. If someone is going through a difficult time in their personal life, a good boss can be empathetic, understanding and help them with what they need.

Keeping Things Organised

This is about making sure everything is in the right place. Great bosses are really good at keeping track of what needs to be done and when. They use tools and systems to make sure work gets done smoothly. For example, they might use a planner to schedule tasks. When everything is organised, work gets done faster. Imagine a boss who has a big project coming up. They’d create a timeline, breaking down tasks into smaller, manageable steps. This way, everyone knows what needs to be done and when.

Making Decisions

Sometimes bosses have to make tough choices. Great bosses weigh options carefully, and by making decisions, work moves forward smoothly. If for example there’s a disagreement among team members about which direction to take, a great boss would listen to everyone’s opinions and then make a decision based on what’s best for the team as a whole. They’re confident in their decision making and in turn this helps to build trust with the rest of the team who will feel like they can follow them with confidence.

Being Flexible

Things don’t always go as planned, and great bosses know how to be flexible and change their plans when they need to. They’re open to trying new things- for example, if something isn’t working, they might ask the team for new ideas. Being flexible helps everyone find better ways to do things. Consider a situation where a project deadline gets moved up unexpectedly, a great boss would calmly assess the situation and come up with a new plan. They’d communicate the changes to the team and work together to meet the new deadline.

4 Top Ways You Can Become A Great Boss

Two focuses of my blog is Organizational/Management and Workplace Discussions. Once you get into management, you path is not complete. It takes a specific set of skills to be a great boss. The following contributed post is entitled, 4 Top Ways You Can Become A Great Boss.

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When you are running a business it can be hard work and a lot of stress. One thing you have to be careful with is treating your employees like human beings, not machines. A lot of bosses and managers take the biscuit with their employees and show no consideration for their health and wellbeing. Being a great boss means looking after your employees and treating them with the respect they deserve. Take a look below for some tips on how to be a great boss.

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Be Approachable

Nobody wants to work for a boss who is horrible, defensive, and who doesn’t listen. This will cause your employees to find work elsewhere. Being a great boss consists of listening to your employees and treating them as individuals. If you are a nice boss then you are more likely to keep your workers for a long time as they will be happy coming to work. They will also be less likely to suffer mental health conditions associated with working.

If there are issues that arise in the workplace then your employees need to know that they can come and talk to you about it. They need to feel reassured that you have listened to them and heard them. Be an active listener, stop whatever it is you are doing, and encourage them to talk to you. If the problem happens to be something in the workplace then they need to know that you will do your very best to handle it.

Unfortunately, workplace bullying and harassment still happen and you need to have a zero-tolerance policy to this that everyone is aware of.

Offer Rewards

When an employee does something amazing you should reward them for it to show your appreciation. This not only gives the employee a boost in confidence and pride, but it will also give them the motivation to carry on. Rewards can be anything from a yearly bonus to extra days off throughout the year. You could even offer both for outstanding employees. It is whatever works best for your business. Something that is quite commonly offered on birthdays and holidays is a gift voucher of some sort, which might be something for you to look into.

Climbing The Ladder

In order to get ahead in the world of business and managing a team, it is well worth looking into applying for Six Sigma Certification Online. This is a leadership and management course and comes in varying colors, all the way from white to black.

As you are doing your training and furthering your own career and personal development you should offer the same to your employees. People do not want to be stuck in a dead-end job with no opportunities of climbing the career ladder. If this happens you will find that a lot of your employees leave after a certain time. They want to feel challenged and appreciated, so offer them promotions and training from time to time to further their development and job opportunities.

We hope you found this article helpful and it gives you some useful advice on how to be a great boss.

How To Tell Your Boss You Have A Record

A key focus of my blog is Career Discussions. In some instances individuals have been convicted of crimes, look for employment afterwards and must face the reality of the possibility of being denied. Not being transparent can create issues as well and have consequences if discovered. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Tell Your Boss You Have A Record.

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There is something so shameful about being arrested. It’s not that other people have to make you feel ashamed of it, but the years of being told how to stay out of trouble can often get the better of you. The five stages of dealing with an arrest make it clear, but it’s so important that you know that your arrest isn’t the end of the world.

If you have been arrested for a crime, you know that you have had a tough few days. You’ve been away from home and you’ve been through it and likely not slept – you also have a court case coming up where you will discover whether you will get a sentence of four to six months for your crime, or if they will take a little pity on you. Either way, it’s not going to be an easy conversation to have with your boss. You have to tell them about what’s going on – and you have to be honest about it.

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The first thing that you need to do before you tell anyone anything, is know what’s happening. You need to know why you were arrested and what you will be facing. Depending on your profession, you could lose your job, but that doesn’t mean that you should keep it all to yourself. You need to talk to your employer – especially if you are anticipating a spell in prison. It’s important to know your formal charges, what your probation conditions are (if any) and what court dates will be. With this information, you can approach your boss for a conversation.

There is always a question about whether you legally need to tell your boss about the arrest and the situation going forward, and the answer to that is a resounding yes. Your employer has a right to know if there is any illegal activity going on – though you can hold the fanfare about traffic tickets. When you have everything that you need, set up a meeting via your human resource department and meet with your boss face to face. This isn’t something to talk about over the phone!

Take it slow when you do see your boss. It’s not a good idea to dive right in! You need to think about a meeting with no interruptions – this is one conversation you don’t need people listening in on. This needs to be a calm meeting without any yelling or shouting. This is going to be the most important part of the meeting; you need to remain as calm as possible at all times, as your boss is going to have to make some tough decisions with regard to your future in the business. There will be some tough things to hear, but hear them you must. You have to represent yourself well, and the best thing to do is to stick to the facts and find out the next steps for you. An arrest can change your life, but you may not be completely cut off from your future – and that’s what this meeting is for.

Beating Confidence Troubles When You’re The Boss

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. Three key focuses are Business/Entrepreneurship, Career Discussions and Professional Development and Skills. There are many ways to be the boss whether you’ve started your own business or you’re working in an organization. Being the boss can be a daunting task for many people but there are keys to mastering it. The following contributed post is entitled, Beating Confidence Troubles When You’re The Boss.

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Do you own your own business? Maybe you’re a manager at a branch owned by someone else? Either way, there’s a good chance you feel unsure of yourself from time to time. You’ve got a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, and a lot of power in your hands, and it can be hard to manage the both of them at once!

Which is why it’s key to remember that being the boss doesn’t automatically mean you feel confident enough to be one! You’re allowed to doubt yourself, and feel awkward about the decisions you make; you’re only human, after all. But because of that, we’ve listed a few tips for you below, to make sure you start feeling a bit more secure in your role. You’re doing a lot of hard work, and you deserve to have the confidence to show for it.

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There’s Advice Out There

And it’s more accessible than you may realise! After all, we have the internet to thank for instant connectivity, and that means you can go in search of a business leadership podcast with little to no trouble at all.

When you’re a burgeoning business leader, in search of information that’s going to put the pep back in your step, listening to the words of corporate founders and various self made people might just be the key.

And advice for someone like you exists in quite a few forms. You might want to make it your mission to soak up as many different types of medium as you can find, just to be sure you’re getting as much influence and advice as possible. You never know where you’re going to find the one piece of advice that’ll change your life, but we do have a good place for you to start!

Manage Your Expectations

Of course, you’re going to need to manage your expectations. You’re going to need to stay down to earth with what you’re thinking of achieving, or what projects you know you’re going to be able to take on. It’s very unlikely that you’re going to be able to turn around an organisation in the next 3 to 6 months, so don’t put that kind of stress on your shoulders from the get go.

Instead, aim a little lower, for something you know you can achieve. Bringing more skills into the business? Check. Cutting down costs? Check. And on and on the list can go, creating a very workable step by step guide for you to follow. Now doesn’t that sound easier?

Focus Your Network

And finally, be sure to focus your network on people like you. Try to reach out and connect with fellow managers, or first time entrepreneurs, to remind yourself you’re not alone. Use sites like LinkedIn to make a search like this easier. It might be a small point, but it’s a very important one to remember!

As the boss, you don’t have to keep second guessing yourself. You can learn confidence!

How To Use Your Time Wisely As A Boss

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success, and a key focus is Career Discussions. As a boss as opposed to being an employee, you have a lot of responsibility. As such, you must become a master of using your time wisely. Doing so will give both you and your staff the best chances to succeed in your mission. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Use Your Time Wisely As A Boss.

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When you’re managing a company, there are many things that you have to do. In fact, it feels like there is a never ending stream of emails coming into your inbox, and that you’ve got people knocking on the door morning, noon and night, asking for your advice and assistance. This is before you even think about all of the other responsibilities that you have to take care of.

It’s no wonder, then, that you may be worried about the best ways for you to utilize your time. After all, you only have 24 hours in the day just like everybody else, right? Here’s how you can use your time wisely.

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Work out what you’re good at

One of the best things that you can do as a boss is to work out what you’re actually good at. Sure, we all like to think that we’re really good at all elements of running a business, but when it comes down to it, there are some things that we’re slow at, or just not great at completing.

When you work out what these tasks are, you can get to work on giving them to other people, rather than doing them yourself. Using your strengths as a way to center your time is a good idea if you feel like it’s getting away from you!

See what you can outsource

There are very few businesses out there now that don’t use outsourcing in some way. Whether it’s having a virtual reception desk, managed IT services, or a part time CFO dealing with your finances, there are plenty of jobs that you can get done by people who don’t even need to be in the office.

This gets rid of all of the little tasks that you have, that may be consuming your time. If you feel like you’re always on the phone and you don’t necessarily need to be, then this is something that somebody else can do, and you don’t need to fork out a full-time wage.

Have regular breaks

OK, this one may seem like it doesn’t actually save you any time, but there is certainly something to be said for having regular breaks as a boss. Not only does it allow you to take a step back and think about your next course of action, but it also allows you to come back into the office ready to deal with the task at hand.

Throwing yourself into your work non-stop will only be detrimental for your time management, so don’t underestimate the simple effectiveness of a 10 minute walk, just to get you out of the office and to clear your head a little.

So…

If you want to use your time wisely as a boss, then try out some of these things. Ultimately, it’s not about working harder; it’s about working smarter, and making sure that you’re utilizing all of the hours that you have in the office day. Once you work out how to do it, your productivity will be through the roof!

Are You Cutting Your Boss’ Decisions Enough Slack?

Two key focuses of my blog are Creating Ecosystems of Success and Career Discussions. Stepping up into management doesn’t just mean an increase in pay, but it also involves a whole new set of responsibilities and decisions to make that most staff level employees aren’t privy to. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Are You Cutting Your Boss’ Decisions Enough Slack?

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As an employee, it feels as if you and the boss are at war. Not literally, but metaphorically. You ask for things and suggest improvements and they go about their business as usual. It’s incredibly frustrating when they don’t listen, especially if the idea could transform the company.

It’s easy to see bosses and managers as incompetent. They are stuck in their ways and make decisions for their gain and nobody else’s. Of course, they got to their position through hard work and competency among other things, so they aren’t inept. If anything, they know things you don’t and haven’t yet considered.

Far too often, workers don’t cut their boss’ decisions enough slack and the relationship suffers as a result. You’re more than welcome to go down this route but it won’t work out well for you in the long-term. The better option is to try and see it from their side. Why doesn’t the person in charge drop everything when you have a light bulb moment?

Trade-Offs

Not everything is as straightforward as it appears to the untrained eye. You might want new desktops and iPads for remote working, yet it isn’t a case of making an order. For a boss, an expense such as this will require a trade-off in another area of the company or further down the line.

An example is the impact the cost will have on the budget as a whole. New software and hardware might raise productivity a little, but it won’t help with employee training. If the boss considers the latter to be more important, they won’t make the tradeoff as it doesn’t make any business sense.

No-brainers do exist yet the majority of the time it requires the person in charge to play politics. Yep, even for the most basic of decisions.

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Humanity

The last thing anybody wants to see is layoffs. Watching colleagues and friends pack their things and leave the building is a heartbreaking sight. It’s also scary because you know you could be next. Redundancies don’t discriminate as one way to limit the number of layoffs is to fire high-earning workers.

You might think there are other options on the table; however, the reality is different. Asking people to go part-time or to take a redundancy package isn’t always viable. Depending on the company’s finances, the budget might need cutting to the bone. Also, don’t forget that they have to think about the future as well as the present. It isn’t enough to lay off people to stay above water – the business needs breathing space.

Bosses have to do whatever necessary to stop the firm from going under. Their allegiance is to the company.

Health And Safety

Why is that there? What do we need this for? How come this makes no sense? It’s not uncommon for employees to judge the internal processes of the workplace. After all, an inefficient format makes your life more difficult and it’s stressful.

What workers often forget is the topics of health and safety. Bosses must ensure everyone is safe within the workplace particularly if you work with heavy machinery. That’s why there are electric chain hoists in warehouses which lift small to medium loads vertically. Machines that do it horizontally often swing the load and it’s a potential danger. Pretty much every piece of equipment or resource in the workplace has a meaning, and it’s usually health and safety related.

The next time you wonder why something is the way it is, remember your wellbeing. The odds are the management has put it there for your benefit.

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Fairness

Sometimes, a decision will improve the business as a whole yet it’s tough to implement. The reason is simple: the perception of fairness. Employees who feel their coworkers are getting preferential treatment will rebel. Once this happens, the morale of the team hits rock bottom and everything starts to go wrong.

Home-based work is worth considering in this context. You know that it would suit your life if you could have some independence a couple of times a week. Although the boss agrees, there is no way they can sanction it if there is going to be a backlash. Everyone will want the same and it’s impossible to allow. After all, some people aren’t made for unstructured hours.

So, if a boss makes a decision and you know it’s wrong, think about the bigger picture. As a rule, the togetherness of the team is always going to come ahead of the individual.

How do you see your boss’ decisions now?