Have you got an exceptional boss? It is better than working for a great company! Employees describe a great boss as someone respectful, supportive, honest, and compassionate. Moreover, most of all, employee do not like a micromanager, according to an informal survey of CNN Business readers.
“What got you here won’t get you there.” — Marshall Goldsmith
If being an exceptional boss is something you aspire to — or secretly wonder if you are — check yourself against these five characteristics. To go deeper assess you should know if your behavioural DNA predisposes you to be a manager, executive or in the C-Suite.
An exceptional boss is a rare combination of a great manager and a great leader. As a result, these skills are complementary and related.
- Management is primarily skill-based and includes communicating clearly, managing your team's time, facilitating teamwork and collaboration, delegating tasks, solving problems with your team, setting goals and assessing results, developing your emotional intelligence, and being tactful in your transparency. Demonstrate these skills daily.
- Leading is about you as a person. Moreover, people want leaders who feel 'followable.' We have found that translates into six behaviours: promotes a compelling vision, seeks innovation, demonstrates energetic enthusiasm, inspires others, drives achievement, and initiates independently. Furthermore, demonstrate these attributes along with being trustworthy daily.
What Managers and Leaders Do
Being a manager does not automatically make you a leader. While many use these two words interchangeably, they represent two completely different traits. The table below shows the differences between the two.| What Managers Do | What Leaders Do |
|---|---|
| Managers set goals. | Leaders set the vision. They turn the vision into reality. Leaders think beyond what people are capable of and make everyone part of something bigger. |
| Managers usually think short term. | Leaders think long term. Leaders always look at the big picture. They think about the next phase to set the direction towards the final goal. |
| Managers maintain the status quo. | Leaders are in favour of change. Leaders innovative and encourage transformation in an organization. They always look for better ways to improve the processes of a business. |
| Managers don’t want to get out of their comfort zone. | Leaders take risks. They are not afraid of trying out new things even though, they fail sometimes. Leaders know that failing is not the end but actually the beginning for a new path to success. |
| Managers are process focused. | Leaders are people focused. Leaders always think about their teams and give importance to their growth. They know that once their team grows, the business grows too. |
| Managers supervise their team. | Leaders coach them. Leaders do not micromanage their team but instead guide them towards the vision when necessary. |
| Managers are authoritative and directive. | Leaders are charismatic. Leaders earn the respect of others with their charisma and make others follow them. That is why leaders have fans and managers have employees. |
| Managers assign tasks. | Leaders encourage ideas. Leaders want the involvement of the whole team to the process. They like to brainstorm new ideas or encourages people to always raise their opinions, if they get a better way of doing things. |
| Managers are controllers and think with their brains. | Leaders are passionate and think with their hearts too alongside their brains. Leaders know the importance of the gut feeling and believe in their sixth senses. |
| Managers do things right. | Leaders do the right thing. When leaders need to break and set new rules for a business, then, they do not hesitate of doing Leaders are open to change. |
Trust staff to do their jobs
Intent to stay: The combined effect of Managers and Leadership
After hiring someone based on their knowledge, skills, and good judgment, I continue to be amazed at how many managers spend their days telling these potential high-performers how best to do their jobs. When you value an employee’s opinion, you motivate them to step up and offer even more.
Moreover, an exceptional boss extends their trust even when an employee makes a mistake. You allow them space to get the job done or fail and trust that they will learn from their failures.
Trusting your team members helps with employee retention. People leave managers, not organizations. About one in two employees have left a job to get away from a manager during his or her career, according to Gallup's State of the American Manager report. Also, the people who made the change, report that they improved their overall life.
Respect the people who work for you
"One of the most important — and gutsiest — things you can do as a boss and leader is to shut the hell up and listen.” – Kate White
You need to genuinely respect the folks working for you as both employees and people if you want the best from them. You earn respect when you recognize and reward your employees and colleagues.
Take the time to appreciate and understand the unique ways each team member thinks, acts and innovates. Be on the lookout to enable team members to use their talent. You will be trusted, admired and respected because you make it more about the advancement of others, rather than yourself. Share the momentum you build with others.
When you respect all employees, you treat them like the essential spokes in the wheel. Employees will work hard without you making them feel like they had to work hard. After all, they know they are vital to getting the job done.
Great leaders communicate their thoughts, ideas, and instincts brilliantly. Leaders of influence understand that active listening is as critical to their impact as their ability to communicate.
Earning respect is a journey. As an exceptional boss, you focus on how you can “deliver beyond what is expected” of your role and responsibilities. Always be on the look-out for ways to step up your game and to be mindful of finding ways to make the workplace better and the organization and its people more competitive and relevant.
Support their success and have their backs
The exceptional boss is an excellent mentor and coach. Your infectious energy and management style will remind team members of a favourite coach they had playing sports as a kid.
You will push your staff to do more and to be better. However, always had their best interest at heart. You want them to succeed. Being incredibly positive will rub off on your entire team.
Of course, it is difficult for a team member to be successful if you do not have their back when things get tough. The exceptional boss always supports the employee and their decisions even when the decision is not the best one. When a mistake appears, use the opportunity as a teaching moment to help the employee see it for the error it was. You support the team member to break down the thinking that led them to make that decision, so they are unlikely to make it again.
Be open, honest and a good listener
"We all need people who will give us feedback. That's how we improve.” — Bill Gates
An exceptional boss is "transparent" and "honest.” You want to hear what an employee is telling you. You listen to others' opinions and always consider them.
An exceptional boss shines when the business goes through a lot of internal changes. No matter what was happening, you take the time to share the company news, as well as have regular one-on-one meetings with team members.
Show compassion and caring
Again, empathy is more potent than aggression makes the team feel like a family. The exceptional boss is kind. You lead with understanding, compassion and transparency. You foster an environment of psychological safety where the team feels comfortable taking risks. Team members look after each other, and you. All work to make each other feel proud.
The exceptional boss maintains structure and a process of ongoing improvement. Moreover, you give as much respect as you demand. You set the bar for excellence for the rest of the team’s careers.
Concluding Thoughts
Leadership and management are messy. Our research suggests that two fundamental behavioural competencies are essential at every level of management, all the way to the CEO. These competencies are: Leads Decisively and Thrives in Chaos.
When someone works for an exceptional boss, they would rather disappoint their parents than disappoint you.
Management is a skill that can be taught. With some hard work and perseverance to manage your weaknesses, you can become a great manager. However, leadership is entirely different. You need to have a sufficient number of the right behavioural traits strengths to become a great leader.
The exceptional leader has the right traits and acquires the necessary management skills.
Our behavioural assessment provides the insights need to become an exceptional boss. You learn what natural strengths you bring to the position and what challenges you must find a way to manage. So, find out if you have the right stuff to be an exceptional boss — it may be the best move you will ever make.
Challenge — What's Right For You?
Solution = Leverage Your Talent Stack + Build Your Career Capital
Identify your unique behavioural strengths, build your career capital and leverage your unique talent stack for lifetime success.
- Grow your leadership potential by targeting your critical developmental needs
- Determine your crucial career success factors, allowing for more focused efforts
- Discover your best and most successful career direction
- Find out about your strengths and interests in different career areas
Knowing yourself is the first step to being happy. Moreover, staying happy is an ongoing process of regrounding your long-term goals with your current objectives. When those align, you’re on the path to a job you can adore. Know when to find a better job as your best option may be to fall in love with your job (again) We also offer a personal development plan to help you achieve career success and satisfaction.
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