You may be a good boss, but this year you can be a great boss. Here are simple tips from leadership experts that can make a big difference in your performance and the performance of your team. Make these your New Year’s resolutions and pave the way for everyone’s success.
The first big step is to get to know your people. Find out their personality, their work style, their strengths and weaknesses, and also their own career goals. By knowing how your people think you can motivate them and also avoid many communication problems (for example, if you realize that Marge isn’t great at written reports but flows with ideas when she’s talking with other people, then consider setting 15 minutes a week to discuss her report face to face).
The next step is to find out which tasks or activites generate the most important results and focus on those. Don’t spread your people too thin. Plus, setting priorities and reasonable work hours will actually lead to better performance and productivity, as studies on work life balance show.
Also take an honest look at your people’s job satisfaction and skill shortages. Your most important resource is your people, and as managers your key role is to empower them to do their job well and to feel satisfation fcrom it. Ask them what they would like to accomplish, what they need, and the kind of support you can extend to them.