Girl Boss: Being the Best Boss!

After spending a good portion of my career in human resource management, I have discovered several things about managing other people. Some of those things were discovered through trial and error and to save you, dear friend, some of those same lessons, I want to share what I’ve learned about being the best boss!

Never Stop Learning

It’s a lesson few of us ever learn (mostly because we should never stop learning! 😊) Keeping abreast of the newest things happening in your industry is essential. For me, it has always been essential to learn your people. Knowing your colleagues and employees is the sign of a great boss, but it also helps to cultivate a workplace culture where people are respected and valued. When they know that you care about them, they are likely to go above and beyond and think creatively about new solutions. 

Another thing that’s helped me in my career is to read, and then read more. Some of the places I frequently visit to learn new things is the Harvard Business Review and Forbes. A couple of the books I highly recommend are Dare to Lead by Bréne Brown and Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson.

Lastly, I recommend conducting a 360 review. For those unfamiliar, a 360 review is a review process where you receive feedback from managers as well as colleagues, employees and others with insight on your performance. When effectively executed, this can provide substantial feedback on your perception as a leader, colleague, and boss.

Admit When You are Wrong

As much as we try to deny it, sometimes we get things wrong. This could be a small thing like an oversight of an email to something more substantial. An effective boss knows that glossing over a mistake can make things worse and lead to a lack of trust within your staff. The first step to righting the mistake is to apologize. As simple as that is, it goes a long way to building rapport with colleagues and instilling a culture of trust. Secondly, work through what happened. Try to find a resolution with the effected parties to make sure you maintain a solid working relationship with them.

Cultivate Leaders Around You

An often-overlooked part of being the best boss you can be is to recognize and cultivate new leaders. Finding new leaders involves hiring excellent people, instilling trust in them and training them effectively, and getting out of their way. I believe in always hiring people who are capable, curious and will add tremendous value to the team. Just as importantly, I love hearing how they want to grow within the position and what their professional goals are. In an ongoing way, I seek to honestly hear their goals and develop actionable plans with them. 

Here are some additional resources to help you be the best boss you can!:  

·        What Great Managers Do: https://hbr.org/2005/03/what-great-managers-do

·        Simon Sinek’s Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe: https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_why_good_leaders_make_you_feel_safe?language=en