A couple of weeks ago I wrote about five reasons your employees might hate you. Now, I’m not normally a negative person, so while I did receive some feedback from readers on how fun it was to read and chuckle, I felt compelled to be more positive in this week’s post. So, today’s topic is, five signs you have a great boss.

It’s not an easy thing to be a great boss. The person has to have a lot of emotional maturity and have the patience to deal with all kinds of personalities. The person must help people stay motivated and keep the focus on work. That’s a lot of balls to juggle at one time. So here are five signs you have a great boss:

1. She is Inspiring: She doesn’t just go to employees to tell them what’s wrong, she makes sure to point out what they’re doing right. She makes an effort to notice if they’ve pitched a great idea, gone the extra mile on a project or helped another employee grow. She’s a mentor and a coach who, when you do have to point out an employee’s failing, you also have ideas about how that employee can turn the problem around. Or if an employee is doing well, she helps him or her move to the next step of accomplishment.
2. He’s Not Afraid of the Tough Conversations: He is comfortable having the uncomfortable conversations with employees. He offers criticism in a positive way. He communicates information constructively, honestly, and directly, not in a way devised to shame the employee or create negative emotions. But, he also knows that as long as he’s communicating the information well, he’s not responsible for how the employee chooses to respond.
3. She Listens: She solicits input from her employees. So many of the great ideas that come through a company, those Thomas Edison moments, come from employees dealing with the situation themselves. They can save the company money, lead to a new revenue stream, find a way to work better with a difficult client. She welcomes their ideas and appreciates that they’re helping the company solve the problem.
4. He’s Fair:  He treats all your employees fairly and equally. He doesn’t show favoritism. That doesn’t mean that all his employees are the same. He recognizes that each person is an individual with different concerns and issues and he spends time understanding how to modify his management style to make sure he’s motivating employees as individuals. For example, one person might love having a win brought up in public. That person might want it mentioned at the meeting or to have a staff lunch to celebrate his or her accomplishment. That same treatment might feel uncomfortable and embarrassing to another employee. So for the more private employee, he might give him or her a private accolade and a gift certificate to a restaurant.
5. She Gets Out of the Way: She’s an effective delegator. She assigns the work and trusts employees to get it done. That doesn’t mean she just dumps it on them and walks away. She sets up the situation to help the employee succeed. She communicates effectively what her goals are and checks back after the employee has had time to make progress, to see if she can clear up any questions or offer any additional help.

If you have a great boss, tell him or her thank you. Bosses need pats on the back, too! Or, call us if you need leadership coaching or guidance.

We work with companies on a project basis or on retainer, providing a custom level of HR help designed for your business, with offices in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston. Contact me at Caroline@valentinehr.com or call (512) 420-8267.