5 tips to become a better boss
Published in
2 min readFeb 8, 2019
- Treat your employees as equal. The job your employees perform is as important, and many times even more important than the job you do. Acknowledge that and you’ll better understand why you are just another part of the team. This is not a “humility” exercise. A good boss is not the one that can “lower themselves to their employee’s level”. A good boss is the one that believes their employees are at the same level as he is.
- Trust on your employees. There is nothing more rewarding that knowing your boss trusts on you. Make them feel empowered but also responsible of their actions. Trusting and delegating sometimes means an employee will make a mistake. Get ready to offer support instead of reprehension when it happens.
- Understand the human side of them. We all have done it. You walk to someone’s desk to find out they are surfing the web, streaming a video or doing some shopping. Many times they’ll close the page always thinking you didn’t notice. If the work is being done in a timely manner and with the quality you expect, this should not bother you. If it does, you need to understand people needs time to unwind and to clear their minds. Give them the time, make them feel it is ok to do it, as long as it doesn’t affect the work obviously.
- Engage with them in a personal level. I’ve always despise the quote “you don’t go to work to make friends”. I am not sure where and when this myth started, but this should not stop you from reaching out and ask “how is the family?”. There is no need to become best friends with anybody, but make them aware you care not only professionally but also personally. Don’t do this as a courtesy. Mean it.
- Have a good time. Enjoy your work. Being a boss doesn’t mean you have to appear to be angry or concerned all the time. It is also OK for you to make a joke, to enjoy your day, to drink that cup of coffee, or to wear what you think it’s the best sports team on earth (as long as it is the Green Bay Packers).
