Want to be the Boss Everyone Loves?
by Kirstin Lynde
What if YOU were the leader people lined up to work for? With your “fabulous boss” reputation, you’d have your pick of the best applicants. They’d be skilled, motivated, and hard workers, creating strong results and generating only the rare managerial headache. They’d depart for greener pastures very infrequently, saving you the cost and hassle of hiring and training many a replacement.
How does the “great boss” become great enough to create this enviable situation? The leaders we love understand one very BIG thing that others may not: namely, that their people work for far more than a paycheck. Although financial compensation is certainly a ticket to entry when it comes to hiring and retaining talent, emotional compensation may matter more. And then there is intellectual compensation. And social compensation. People can line up direct deposit paychecks from any old job. The other forms of compensation are much harder to come by, and are hugely valued.
The great boss understands all this, and strikes an employment deal that is much bigger than “you work, we pay.”
For example, the great boss pays “emotional compensation” on a frequent basis. Most of us stand taller and feel happy (that is, we are emotionally compensated) when our boss asks for our opinion then listens with great interest to our answer. Or compliments our efforts. Or actually uses our latest idea. Or takes us out to lunch to talk about our current longer-term career hopes.
According to Vicky Oliver, the Manhattan-based consultant and best-selling author of 5 career development books, a recent Gallup poll revealed that 70% of American workers admit to neither enjoying their boss nor being engaged in their work. (No surprise – those two undesirables tend to be highly correlated.)
So how do you avoid being the boss with a disengaged, not-so-loyal team? How do you up your leadership game and improve business results by providing more of those additional forms of employee compensation? Olivier offers up 7 powerful ideas for you in her blog post “Be the Boss Others Love to Work For”. Pick one of her recommendations to focus on over the next week or two. Rev up your ability to make people feel good about themselves, their work, their ideas, and their efforts. It will pay generous dividends.
About the author
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