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Executive Spotlight: How To Be A Better Boss

Whether you're a seasoned manager looking to hone your leadership skills or an aspiring leader focused on developing a strong foundation, the journey to becoming a more effective and empathetic boss is a continuous process of self-improvement. Being a better boss is not only about increasing productivity and profitability; it's about fostering a positive and productive work environment, nurturing the growth of your team, and, ultimately, achieving success collectively. So what strategies can help you become the kind of boss your team looks up to and respects?

We recently asked our leading executives for their best tips on how to be a better boss.

Here are their responses...

Ana Smith, Leadership Development & Learning Strategist

Being a better boss isn't just about holding a position of authority; it's about inspiring and guiding your team towards success. Effective leadership is a skill that can be developed over time, and it's essential for creating a positive work environment and achieving outstanding results. If you want to become a better boss, consider implementing these 10 strategies:

1. Lead by Example:

Great leaders set the standard for their team. Demonstrate the work ethic, attitude, and behavior you expect from your employees. If you want your team to be punctual, dedicated, and collaborative, show them that you are all those things and more.

2. Communicate Effectively:

Open, honest, and clear communication is at the heart of good leadership. Be approachable and listen actively to your employees. Share your expectations, provide feedback, and keep your team informed about company goals and progress.

3. Empower Your Team:

Trust your team to make decisions and take ownership of their work. Encourage creativity and problem-solving. When employees feel empowered, they become more engaged and committed to their tasks.

4. Provide Constructive Feedback:

Offer both praise and constructive criticism. Acknowledge your employees' achievements and, when necessary, offer guidance for improvement. A balance of positive and negative feedback fosters growth and development.

5. Set Clear Expectations:

Ensure that your team understands their roles and responsibilities. Clearly define goals, objectives, and performance metrics. Clarity in expectations reduces confusion and enhances productivity.

6. Foster a Positive Work Environment:

Create a workplace culture that values respect, inclusivity, and teamwork. Recognize and celebrate individual and team achievements, and encourage a healthy work-life balance.

7. Lead with Empathy:

Understand your employees' needs and challenges. Be empathetic to their personal and professional situations. This will build trust and strengthen your relationships.

8. Develop Your Team:

Invest in your employees' professional development. Offer training opportunities, mentorship, and guidance to help them grow and advance in their careers. When your team thrives, your organization does too.

9. Manage Conflict Effectively:

Conflict is a natural part of any workplace. A better boss can manage conflict by addressing issues promptly, remaining neutral, and facilitating constructive resolutions.

10. Be Adaptable:

In today's ever-changing world, adaptability is a vital trait for leaders. Be open to new ideas, technologies, and approaches. Embrace change and guide your team through transitions with confidence.

Being a better boss is an ongoing journey that involves continuous self-improvement and a commitment to creating a positive and productive work environment. By leading by example, communicating effectively, empowering your team, and fostering a positive culture, you can become a leader that inspires and motivates others to reach their full potential.

Remember, leadership is not just about the title you hold; it's about the impact you have on the people you lead. By applying these strategies, you can become the kind of boss that people respect, admire, and are eager to follow.

Ana Smith helps people & organizations achieve their full talent potential by developing and co-creating people strategies and customized solutions, and turning them into impactful outcomes and collaborative relationships, using coaching as the "red thread."

Michael Willis, Sports Business Operations Executive

Here are some ways to embrace being a better boss.

1. Lead by Example: The most effective leaders are those who don't just talk but walk the walk. Be the change you want to see in your team. Demonstrate the qualities you expect from your employees, such as dedication, punctuality, and a strong work ethic. Your actions will inspire others to follow suit.

2. Effective Communication: Communication is the cornerstone of effective leadership. Make an effort to be a better communicator. Listen actively to your team members, provide clear instructions, and offer constructive feedback. When your team feels heard and understood, they'll be more motivated to perform at their best.

3. Empower Your Team: Great bosses empower their employees. Trust your team to make decisions and take ownership of their work. Provide opportunities for growth and development and encourage them to take on new challenges. When your team feels valued and trusted, they'll be more engaged and motivated.

4. Recognition and Appreciation: Never underestimate the power of appreciation. Recognize and celebrate the achievements and efforts of your team members. A simple "thank you" or a public acknowledgment can significantly boost morale and motivation.

5. Continuous Learning: A better boss is one who never stops learning. Stay updated on industry trends, leadership best practices, and management techniques. Invest in your personal development, and your commitment to growth will inspire others to do the same.

6. Conflict Resolution: Conflicts are inevitable in any workplace. As a better boss, learn to handle conflicts with tact and empathy. Encourage open and respectful communication among your team members. Use conflicts as opportunities for growth and improvement.

7. Work-Life Balance: Show that you care about your team's well-being by promoting work-life balance. Encourage employees to take breaks, use their vacation days, and maintain a healthy work-life equilibrium. When your team is well-rested and happy, they'll be more productive and motivated.

8. Set Clear Goals: Ensure your team understands their roles and responsibilities by setting achievable goals. When your team knows what's expected of them and sees a clear path forward, they'll be more motivated to work towards those goals.

9. Lead with Empathy: Understand that your team members have their own needs, ambitions, and challenges. Show empathy and compassion towards their personal and professional struggles. Your empathy will foster a supportive and motivating work environment.

10. Inspire a Shared Vision: Paint a compelling picture of the future for your team. Share your vision and goals, and rally your team around a common purpose. When your team believes in the mission and sees how they contribute, their motivation and dedication will soar.

In conclusion, becoming a better boss is not just about managing people; it's about inspiring and motivating them to reach their full potential. Committing to being a better boss creates a positive and empowering work environment where everyone can thrive. Remember, leadership is not about being in charge; it's about caring for those in your account.

Michael Willis has 18+ years of experience working with accounting & sports organizations and has managed P&Ls of $10M - $125M+ with budgets of $3M-$50M+. He worked for the NFL for 22 1/2 years, mainly with the game officials working on the financial/accounting side of the business.

Lisa Perry, Global Marketing Executive

Leader/executive/manager/boss talks to her employees during a work meeting

I worked for a company where, upon joining, I swiftly realized that my direct reports were experiencing profound frustration. They expressed a strong sense of being undervalued, not only by the previous boss but also throughout the marketing organization and with senior leadership. To be an effective leader and align efforts with business objectives, I recognized the need to identify and rectify the underlying issues swiftly. Here are five key strategies I used to enhance my leadership and become a better boss for my team:

Foster Effective Communication: Create open channels for communication and actively encourage attentive listening. Cultivate a culture of transparency where team members are at ease sharing their ideas, concerns, and feedback, even if they differ from your perspective. Establishing trust may require time, especially if there has been a history of mistrust. Building trust with your team involves assuring them that it is acceptable and welcome to hold differing viewpoints. Emphasize that diverse perspectives and ideas are valued, even when passionately presented. It is essential to establish this environment swiftly to provide a safe space for driving ideas and achieving business objectives without fear.
Donât Be a Know-It-All: As a boss, itâs not about being an expert and knowing all the answers. Itâs quite the opposite. When managers must provide all the answers, they stifle their employeesâ opportunities for critical thinking and growth. When faced with a situation beyond your expertise, ask questions that spark a dialogue and creativity. This strengthens the teamâs trust but also sets a valuable example of humility.
Be Generous: It is about how you interact and treat people. A good boss focuses on:
- Proactive Problem Solving: Fixing issues before they become significant problems.
- Celebrating Wins: Recognizing employee achievements.
- Taking Responsibility: Accepting accountability when things go wrong.

Employees value bosses who are generous with information, time, praise, and coaching to help them excel at their jobs. Itâs about fostering a supportive and motivating work environment.

Donât Talk, Listen: Your team comprises talented individuals with unique perspectives. Actively listening and offering your undivided attention is how you foster trust and teamwork and gain an understanding of their needs and expectations. Through attentive listening, you comprehend their messages and ideas effectively and show that you value their input and respect their voices.
Create a Positive Work Environment: Alleviate workplace stress by allowing your team to have fun and embrace a positive, inclusive team culture. Motivate with positivity, valuing diversity, respecting individual contributions, and celebrating achievements to promote employee happiness and productivity.

Being a better boss is not about holding a position of authority; itâs about leading with empathy, effectiveness, and inspiration. If you found this helpful, I invite you to explore my book How to Develop a Brand Strategy and insightful brand marketing articles.

Lisa Perry helps companies drive revenue by using consumer trends, insights, and data analytics to innovate their approach to marketing.

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Executive Spotlight: How To Be A Better …

How To Become The Boss Everyone Loves And Respects

Do you want to be the boss or manager that everybody loves and respects? Someone they don't walk all over, but they feel like you get them and want to go to the moon for you?

Becoming the boss everyone loves and respects is a big deal right now because you're hearing about everybody working their wage and quiet quitting. But we know that when teams are inspired, when they love their leaders, they're happier at work, too. Not only do they want to do the work, but they're happier at work and it's a better vibe.

So I'm going to show you how to make that happen...

Understand 2 Important Things About Yourself

Becoming the boss everyone loves begins with understanding yourself in two specific areas, and then training yourself to understand your team in these two specific areas.

The first one is your communication style. I actually call them interaction styles in the workplace. It's how we interact with one another. You're going to have a dominant style and the people around you are going to have different styles. Some styles are easier for you to understand and motivate than others. It's those styles that are polar opposite of yours that are going to require you to do more work to connect with those individuals.

The second one is about creating value. All of us like to work in certain ways, and there are eight main ways that people create value in the workplace. But if you can tap into their top ways, the way they prefer to create value, they will feel insanely productive and satisfied. It also means you can start dropping people in the right roles so that their work feels easy to them, but they're completely exceeding expectations. And now you look like a rock star.

As a manager, you understand people and their needs. You're communicating with them in a style that they need and you're putting them in roles and making them successful based on their strengths and how they create value.

If that makes sense to you, then there are two free quizzes that you can take. I have trained many a manager on this and they completely change how they interact with their team, how they leverage their team strength, and how they motivate individual team members. And again, they become beloved.

When you're loved and respected, you know your team is going to go to new heights and they're going to be happier. It's a win-win situation.

Right now, with the current work environment, it's very important that we as leaders pay more attention to this and we build relationships based on these two vital things that we must understand about the people who report to us. I promise you this is going to make it fun and easy for you to bring your team together and get them to the next level.

Good luck, and go get 'em!

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How To Become The Boss Everyone Loves …

As we all know, most of us will reach a time in our work life when we have to reinvent our careers for an evolving economy. Some of us go back to school while others enter new businesses.

The first thing you want to do when considering a career change is to stop thinking of yourself as just a job title, whether that be financial analyst, human resources specialist, manager, teacher, or homemaker. No matter how you spend the first part of your career, whether it's coaching soccer or fully entrenched in corporate America, we all end up developing specific expertise.

If you start your own independent business from scratch, you will need to know something about every aspect of the business, from managing staff to selling your product or service.

If you're interested in switching to a new industry, you might want to consider a franchise, which comes with a tried-and-true business model, a brand name, and marketing expertise, as well as a training program and ongoing support. With a franchise, you get to operate your own business while having a team of experts behind you.

To accurately gauge your preparedness for any new endeavor, you should consider all the skills you have accumulated that can be transferred to a new career.

As you take inventory of your transferable skills, you want to dive deep into the details of your day to accurately assess your strengths for a successful career change.

1. List What You Do In An Average Workday

Person writes down their transferable skills

Make a list of all the activities you perform on any given workday over a week, since not everything you do happens daily. And don't skip anything you may consider "a no-brainer" or insignificant because these little things can add up to a very significant skill that could transfer to another industry seamlessly.

So, if you sometimes have to field phone calls from disgruntled clients, and you've discovered you're really good at calming people's nerves, that's a valuable skill. Even if your job title is "financial analyst."

You never know what skill could make all the difference in your career change.

2. Realistically Assess Your Personal Strengths

Woman on laptop thinks about her personal strengths while trying to make a career change

You don't need to be good at everything, but if cold-calling is an essential aspect of the company you want to apply to in your career change, you need to know you can do this day in and day out.

Consider core skills such as communications, business acumen, managing people, marketing, and so on. Be honest with yourself and stay clear of jobs that rely on skills that are not among your strengths. Changing careers is a lot easier when you know all of your strengths and how they can help you succeed in your next job.

3. Are You Detail-Oriented Or More The Big-Picture Thinker?

If you're a numbers person and love tabulating figures, you may want to find a business that can capitalize on this valuable skill. Or maybe you prefer creating strategies that can make the whole operation run more smoothly.

Being detail-oriented or a big-picture thinker aren't hard skills. They're just adjectives and definitely DON'T belong on your resume. But knowing which category you fall under should help you identify the hard skills you possess that make you one or the other.

4. Do You Have Good Follow-Through?

Female executive leads a meeting after successfully changing careers

Building a clientele involves not only making good connections but following through to convert these new contacts into lasting relationships. Follow-through can also be an essential attribute in managing staff. A good franchise program can help you learn this skill.

While you don't want to state you have good follow-through on your resume, you should quantify your work experiences so that employers will get that impression when they read your job application. When trying to change careers, quantifiable skills and accomplishments are a necessity.

5. Are You A People Person?

Man smiles at his new job after making a career change

Do you love being around and meeting new people? Do you strike up conversations easily and enjoy learning about other people's interests and goals? Many businesses require a whole range of people skills in hiring and managing staff and attracting and keeping customers, but there are lots of businesses where the role of the owner mainly involves working alone at your computer.

No matter where you end up after your career change, you will have to deal with people in some way, shape, or form. But if you don't want a customer-facing role, it's good to know that so you can choose which transferable skills to highlight in your resume and which to omit.

With personal skills inventory in hand, you're now ready to begin researching businesses that would best match your skills and interests. A career change can be scary. But if you're confident about the skills you've developed in your career up to this point, you'll be just fine.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

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Reinventing Your Career? 5 Steps To Assess …

Owners of successful business enterprises will be the first ones to tell you that you need to invest in your people. When you are running a business, you need to rely on the efficiency of each person involved in the organization, whether that person is a front liner or is working in the back office.

Being an owner of a huge corporation entails a lot of responsibilities and that includes hiring and retaining the best people to run your company. You need to look for the best managers who can effectively handle a team of employees.

If you are in the engineering industry, you probably know by now that completing a certain building project will involve hundreds of people divided into different teams. Having the best managers to handle each team is the best way to ensure the success of your project.

Here are some qualities all great managers have:

1. Managers Should Have Strong Interpersonal Skills

The best engineering managers have a way of dealing with people and making sure that each person in the team feels valued. Look for a manager who knows how to handle the different needs and concerns of their team members. It is the responsibility of the manager to keep their people motivated to come to work every day and to be highly productive.

Apart from that, a great manager should ensure that the relationship among their team members is harmonious. Should there be any conflict among the members, they have to be able to iron them out effectively without sacrificing the productivity of the entire team.

2. Managers Should Be Effective In Doing Goal-Setting Activities With Their Team

Each member of the team should feel like they are a valued member of the company. This is why great managers should be able to effectively carry out goal-setting activities with their team. They can conduct strategic planning activities and team-building activities to ensure that each member's goals are streamlined with the entire company's goals.

Apart from goal setting in terms of the company's needs, great managers should also be able to sit down and talk with each team member. Their personal life goals are equally important to the goals that they have for their career. Do they aim to get married in the next few years? Do they aim to migrate with their entire family in the near future? These are things that managers should be aware of. This way, they can prepare ahead of time for sudden changes in the organization and they can ensure proper turnover of responsibilities from one employee to another.

3. Managers Should Be Able To Properly Assess The Skills Of Each Team Member

Employees have different core competencies, skills, and talents that they can contribute to the company. A great manager will be able to pinpoint these skills so that they can help the employee further harness their potential.

Managers should be aware of any workshops and seminars that they could send their employees to. Allowing them to have trainings will further enhance their skills and help them to contribute more to the company as a whole. Understanding the skills and goals of each team member will be highly beneficial to the company because each member will feel more valued and more motivated to work even harder.

4. Managers Should Be Able To Live By Example

The best managers always make sure that they are the perfect role models for their team members. They live by the company's rules and code of conduct. They ensure that they are the perfect shining example of what a model employee is because this is the only way that they can make the rest of the team follow.

A great leader should start by being a good follower. Excellent managers are those who follow the company's standards and bend the rules only if it is for the greater good.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

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