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Entrepreneur Education: Do Good Bosses Really Exist?

Guest post by: Sylvia Lafair

Article Overview: Think about the bosses you have had that you would follow anywhere. What are the basic characteristics of these folks? It becomes interesting to look for the common denominators that are "good boss" requirements. I recently asked several groups in various organizations how they would categorize the best of their bosses. Here is where it got interesting. They were only a few basics that ran across cultures and up and down organizations. These were generic patterns of respect, civility (this word was used over and over), empowerment, and ability to acknowledge work well done.

Entrepreneur Education: Do Good Bosses Really Exist?

Think about the bosses you have had that you would follow anywhere. What are the basic characteristics of these folks? It becomes interesting to look for the common denominators that are "good boss" requirements.

I recently asked several groups in various organizations how they would categorize the best of their bosses. Here is where it got interesting. They were only a few basics that ran across cultures and up and down organizations. These were generic patterns of respect, civility (this word was used over and over), empowerment, and ability to acknowledge work well done.

The rest of the patterns of good bosses was really determined by the specific needs of the specific employees. Some said that the best bosses were the ones who took a personal interest in them. They loved that these bosses know their children's names, remembered birthdays and even could talk about the fact that they had a skill in a sport or musical instrument.

Others were the exact opposite. They loved their bosses because they were given autonomy and only had discussions when a project was finished. They could have cared less if the boss knew much about them, in fact really enjoyed the freedom of a limited personal relationship.

There were still others who measured a great boss as one who knew how to network and was good at connecting them with other people and then staying out of the way. They liked a boss who checked in every so often with a "How can I help" attitude and then gave lots of room.

I continued to look for the patterns that separate the best from the average. I was not focused on the pattern of the bully boss one we call the persecutor; that is for another day. As I put my research together I was fascinated by the fact that other than the few generic patterns the rest were dictated by the personalities of the employee rather than the character of the boss.

This took me full circle to what I know to be the basic fact of the work world. It is, at heart a system of relationships similar to the family relationship system. The key word here is system. We all fit together based on both our personal requirements and the requirements of the larger system. This means that each of us will look at a similar circumstance from our own particular lens and depending upon what we learned as children we will see the present situation and decide what we need.

So, who are the best bosses? The ones who listen to us and learn how to meet us where we are, not where they wish we would be.

These best bosses can decipher what is most important and treat each of us in our own unique way. The great boss gives someone who loves lots of freedom, lots of freedom. The same boss gives someone who yearns for networking and connecting with others the opportunity to meet and greet new colleagues. If the special need is to be special and get a birthday call; that is done.

So, there is really a short list of how to behave. It is not a check the box exercise. Patterns of great bosses begin with observing and understanding the unique needs and requirements of employees and offering each one what will help them grow and develop. Actually, not so different than what we can say about the patterns of great parenting. Help 'em know and help 'em grow.

Here is to great bosses who have learned the secrets of relationship systems and finding the path to help each employee know and grow!

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Article Tags: bosses, connecting, entrepreneur education, freedom, patterns



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