Everyone, at some point in their working life, has worked under a ‘bad boss’ and we can all name the traits of one: micromanagement, delegating tasks not authority, lack of feedback, out of touch with the team, ignoring workplace conflict, and the list goes on. In fact 1 in 2 people leave a job due to a bad manager. Don’t be him or her! Practice these 5 keys skills and you’ll be on the right path…

1. Honest & Open

Without honesty and openness, there’s no trust. With no trust, there’s poor culture, strained relationships and low performance.

Building trust is the start of honest and open communication. It sets the tone for a whole raft of positive team behaviours. If your employees know they can speak freely without judgement, they’re much more likely to be open about their work, ideas, issues or concerns.

A judgement-free environment encourages employees to take responsibility for themselves, their actions and their work.

Don't be afraid to show vulnerability too; your people need to know your human! Be you, be who you are, be real and connect with them. People will never genuinely follow a boss they believe isn’t authentic.

2. Regular Feedback

Did you know that regular feedback is a major driver in employee engagement?

Regularly telling someone what they’re doing well to encourage more of it and what they need to work on to improve, will help them develop, progress and perform well.

Set goals for your people which will focus their efforts in the right places and get that team cohesion. Try not to keep changing them either unless there is good reason as this will leave them feeling frustrated and anxious. If you do change them communicate what and why carefully.

3. Know your People

Knowing your people is key to building trust. Do you show them you care, value them and believe they’re worth knowing? Enough to know what makes them tick? Enough to understand their strengths and weaknesses? Enough to know them on a personal level, i.e. who they are not just what they do at work? People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care.

Great bosses know the strengths and best qualities of their team members and utilise those to achieve collective team goals and create success.

And remember “always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.” Stephen R Covey.

4. Self-Aware

Well we all know people with a severe lack of self-awareness don’t we! You know, the people who have no idea of how their behaviour impacts those around them?

Take time to reflect on your own actions and behaviours and how these may be impacting upon your team. How do you communicate? Is your behaviour and mood consistent? Do you react appropriately in any situation; How well do you manage your emotions? Are you fair in your approach towards everyone?

Would your team say you were consistent and know where they are with you or are they feeling stressed not know what they’re going to get from one day to the next?

5. Communicate!

Be visible and available. Don’t hide behind your emails or communications through others. Let your teams connect with you and the job you’re asking them to do by seeing and feeling who you are.

You can never communicate too much but communication is a two-way street.

Don’t let your job title get in the way of how you lead. Throw away the hierarchy and look at the team as equals. Show them respect and listen to their views, ideas, concerns. Go even further and ask them! After all a manager who wants their team to listen and be influenced, must show that same respect.

When you communicate, especially when delivering a vision, goal, decision always communicate simply and with clarity. Start with the ‘why’ behind it. If your people understand and believe in the ‘why’, they’ll easily stick with you through the ‘what’ and the ‘how’.

So… do all these things and you’ll be a long way towards creating the conditions for your employees to motivate themselves to higher performance and ultimately business success.

Remember... “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader but becomes one by the equality of his actions and integrity of his intent.” Douglas Macarthur.

If you need help with your own leadership or your managers do, let us help!

Within our leadership and management training programmes, we focus on developing the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to lead effectively. We design bespoke and innovative leadership programmes, to meet your business and leader’s needs.

If this is of interest, contact us for an informal chat.