BOSS OR LEADER – WHICH ARE YOU?

WHICH ONE DO YOU WANT TO WORK FOR?

“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things.  He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”     Ronald Reagan

“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart”   Eleanor Roosevelt

“In most cases being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way.” (Tina Fey, Bossypants)  Of all places, I found some excellent ideas on leadership/bossing from Tiny Fey’s book, Bossypants.   Tiny Fey was executive producer of 30 Rock, wrote the movie Mean Girls, and was a head writer and cast member of Saturday Night Live (remember her channeling Sarah Palin?)

Tina Fey is, of course, playing it for laughs in her book, but she does give the reader some things to ponder regarding leadership in the workplace and hiring people who can be developed by a leader, not just someone who bosses.

Let’s ponder a few of her quotes:

“Bossypants Lesson #183:  You Can’t Boss People Around If They Don’t Really Care.”

Never hire anyone you wouldn’t want to run into in the hallway at three in the morning.

If they are too talkative or needy or angry to deal with in the middle of the night by the printer, steer clear.

Never tell a crazy person, he’s crazy.

Moving on to Managerial Techniques – “hire the most talented of the people who are the least likely to throw a punch in the workplace.”

We do know from experience that managing personnel; that is being an effective boss, does have a great deal to do with smart hiring. But what exactly does it mean to be the boss?  An average boss makes sure employees are on task and working and at worst will treat employees like lowly servants.  At their worst, bosses who will never be leaders, have no interest in bettering their employees and do not encourage them to take training courses or improve themselves.  On the other hand, a leader motivates, leads by example, and perceives employees as respected parts of a team.  Leaders want their staff to feel involved so they can buy into their corporate goals.  True leaders share credit with those who contributed and receive loyalty and commitment in return.

Qualities of the Remarkable Boss*

Remarkable bosses are truly leaders and they share similar qualities.   They develop all employees – first by identifying what employees can achieve.  It is the remarkable boss who can help employees achieve goals and targets by training, mentoring and developing their skills.

Remarkable bosses deal with problems immediately.  Employees lose respect for a boss who ignores a problem.  Problems are distracting and even small problems can fester and grow getting in the way of morale.

Remarkable bosses rescue their worst employee.  It may seem easy to just remove the weak link from the chain, but working with the employee by reassuring him and stepping up the mentoring and coaching is a trait of a boss who leads.   Will it always work?  We know that not all employees can be saved but such a boss can make a tremendous impact on the struggling employee and the team as a whole.  If the individual is valued, the team and the mission are valued.

Remarkable bosses serve others, not themselves.   Glory should be reflected, never direct.  Employees should not be asked to do something that a boss would not do. When bosses take this approach everyone knows how truly important they are.

Remarkable bosses always remember where they came from.  Bosses who are true leaders take every chance to inspire, reassure and motivate.  They are not too busy to take time for an employee – especially a new employee.  http://business.time.com/2012/0409/the- five- qualities-of-remarkable-bosses

*The Five Qualities of Remarkable Bosses/Time.com

Remember – “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” Dwight D. Eisenhower