October 17, 2019 | Mason Roberts
If you want your small business to be as successful as you hoped, the boss you are to your staff is a very big part of that. Every accomplished boss knows that, if they have employees, that they are partly the reason for their successes. After all, that is why you hired them. You brought your employees onto your team to help you out. You want to be sure that your business hits all the necessary spots and your customers are satisfied. If this is happening successfully in your day to day, chances are that your loyal employees have something to do with. While you may have some who are not committed and may not be right for the job, you also should have some that are committed to you and your vision.
Now, the question is, how can you be the best boss to your best employees? You should agree that they deserve that. They want a boss who is as dedicated as them and values them as well. There are so many ways you can progress in the aspect of being a great boss. You can work on your own personality traits that may be getting in the way. You can also look at your schedule and evaluate what you are doing in your day-to-day. Are you doing everything you should do, at the best time you can do it, or should there be some scheduling adjustments? Honestly, there are countless ways to improve in being a boss, just as there are hundreds of ways to improve yourself. It is a never-ending train as you change along with everything else around you.
It probably is not a secret when you aren’t reaching expectations. You may realize certain things slipping, and employees treating you differently. Some bosses will not care about this. They will not realize when something is wrong because they simply feel like it is not a priority. If you want to reach your goals, though, do not be like them. Look around you and decide what needs fixing. This is the only way you can get every result you want.
It may be hard to pinpoint how to become a better boss to your employees. That is what I’m here for. Here is how to be the best boss you can be:
1. Know Your Employees
Taking an interest in your staff can make a world of difference. Everyone is different. You will have people with varying personalities who may live in different worlds. One may be older; one may be young. One may have a child; one may be an only child. One may be paying his/her way through school, and one may have dropped out. There will be multiple circumstances. Ask them about each. Take an interest in their lives. Not only will this make them feel much more comfortable working for you because they feel like you care about them and their wellbeing, but it may also tell you why one acts the way they do. For example, say an employee asks to leave 15 minutes early every other shift and you are not sure why. You are beginning to be frustrated with it. Well, ask them. It can turn out to be that this employee is a single mother with no one in her corner to help her out. She may be leaving a little early each day to pick her child up from school. There are bosses who will not care about this and would say to figure something else out, that they cannot leave early. But, you can be the one person in her corner helping her out.
Everyone is different, therefore reacts to situations differently. If you want to be a great boss, it is your job to understand why each person acts as they do. Get as much information as you can and remember it in the tougher times.
2. Recognize The Potential In Your Employees
Everyone has varying strengths and weaknesses. For example, you may have one employee who is great at accounting, and one who struggles when faced with a simple addition problem. This is not to say that it is a bad thing, but it is just one of the many ways your employees will differ. Well, if an employee is excelling in a certain field, take notice of it. Give this employee a job that their strengths will flourish. They will be working hard doing something they enjoy, and also be improving your business because they are so good at the job. If you continue to do this for the duration of your career, you will find that your business will run smoother and smoother. Bumps you may have had before may vanish without you realizing why. Taking advantage of your employees' strengths will not only bring you success but also ease throughout the workday.
3. Set Realistic Goals
If the goals that you communicate to your employees are not realistic, you are only setting them up for failure. Let's be honest, who wants to stay in a job that they only fail in? It’s like being in a tunnel but never, never seeing the light at the end of it. Well, if you want your employees to work their best, and hardest, they need to know what they are working towards. Be very straight forward with them. This will make their lives easier, and yours. A simple way to be sure this happens is to be very organized. For example, you can write a simple list of what must get done, and by who. Read it to them in a meeting, post it on a wall and leave your door open for questions, whatever it may be, just be clear. Do not leave these expectations up for determination to your employees. If you do, and they do not meet your standards, you will have no one to blame but yourself. They were obviously confused by the instructions, and just went for it best they knew how.
Being the best boss you can be difficult at times, but it is possible. Be attentive to your employees and recognizing what is going on around you, and you will figure it out in no time.
