Be A Good Boss Without Being Taken Advantage Of
By Business Desk
Monday, November 20, 2017.
What’s more important to you? To be liked, or to be respected? This is a question that shouldn’t have an easy answer. Respect might sound like it gets the job done, but the truth is that happy, motivated employees always prove more productive as well as more creative and engaged in their roles. The real fear that comes with this question is whether being liked always has to mean being taken advantage of.
Be clear and concise
A team does much better with goals. Not only does it give them a specific measurability to how well they fulfill their job roles, it gives you a way to better understand who’s productive and who isn’t. Learn to set reasonable, clear goals for your workforce. Follow up with those who can’t meet their goals. Learn if it’s due to miscommunication, workplace environment, or personal negligence. If the problems continue after you find the fixes, then you might not be dealing with a productivity issue but an unproductive employee. It’s a lot easier to justify discipline when you have objective data to back it up.
Picture sourced by Miguel A. Padrinan
Do as I do
As the head of the business, you are going to be the example your team follows. “Do as I say, not as I do” is not a realistic mindset. If you assume responsibility for the mismanagement of a project, your team will be more likely to hold themselves accountable for personal failings. If you share the credit, your team will share the credit. Build that company culture before you go blaming individuals for not adhering to it. Leading by example is one of the best ways to not only change your team but to inspire it.
Picture sourced by Tookapic
Reward reasonably
With the right goal setting and productivity tracking, you can see when someone goes above and beyond, you should reward them. But when you reward employees, make sure you’re setting standards not only for how they get them but how much they get. HRMS systems help do more than automate payroll. They can also help you track reward compensation and decide the rates that make a serious impact on productivity and engagement within the team.
Picture sourced by Pixabay
Don’t tolerate the worst of them
Just as rewards are the carrots, you shouldn’t be unwilling to use the stick, either. You need to identify the worst kinds of employees for your company culture and know when to eliminate them. This, paired with the example leading mentioned above, will set clear boundaries as to what you expect and what isn’t tolerated in the workplace. People who seem magnetically drawn to office drama, people who can’t accept responsibility, and people who intentionally break rules repeatedly, even small ones, should not be welcome in your business. The act of firing unacceptable team members also sends a message, but don’t fire people just to send a message alone. Be too arbitrary and the lack of security within the team will most likely lead to drops in productivity due to anxiety and even an exodus of your employees.
You can be liked, be respected, and be treated fairly by your staff all at once. It’s all about finding a balance that makes sense and knowing when to give and when to take away. Hopefully, the points above make that a little easier.