Category Archives: How to Be a Great Boss

Tom had been working as a manager for almost a year. He was good at evaluating people’s performance, pointing out areas for improvement, and saying “thank you” often. To him, those were the things that a good boss did.

However, when Tom sat down with his mentor to talk about his progress, his mentor told him that those things are just the tip of the iceberg. “One of the hallmark qualities of a great boss is that he’s always striving to improve,” said his mentor. “Here are 5 tips on how to become a better boss. You’ll be the kind of boss who inspires tremendous loyalty, innovation, and respect from his people.”

1. Inspires a Shared Vision

Hone your understanding of your organization’s vision. Talking in-depth about vision with company leaders will give you a better grasp of it. Even if you’re not a high-level leader, understanding how … Continue reading 5 Tips on How to Become a Better Boss →

Client Gerald asks: Some of the employees I supervise really seem to self-sabotage at work a lot. It’s clearly coming from a lack of belief in themselves. How can I instill confidence in my employees to get the best results from my team?

Coach Joel answers: Glad you reached out for support, Gerald. Employees who feel confident about their abilities will drive an organization’s success. Meanwhile, those who don’t believe in themselves will settle for the safety of mediocrity. By instilling confidence, you’ll prime your employees to take worthwhile risks, thereby growing into even better performers. Further, confidence is one of the key components of executive presence, meaning you need to fill your leadership pipeline with confident employees.

Focus on strengths

Focusing on strengths doesn’t just make employees feel good—it’s far more effective than targeting weaknesses, according to Gallup’s research. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give feedback about … Continue reading How to Instill Confidence in Employees →

David Asks:  I have a manager who is always getting on everyone’s case over everything. He has even yelled at employees in front of customers. How do I deal with this situation, other than trying to stay out of his way?

Joel Answers:  There is a wide variety in leadership styles between different bosses or even companies, but it is never appropriate for a manager to publicly humiliate an employee. It’s hard to enjoy your work when you’re worried about setting your boss off on a rampage. Here are some things you can do to improve your situation at work:

Build relationships with other managers within the company.

Start preparing for a lateral—or even vertical—move within the company. Work on making yourself well-known outside of your department so that you will be more likely to be considered when a position opens up … Continue reading 4 Ways to Deal with a Bad Boss →

Being a business leader in today’s climate means more than managing the day to day operations of your unit or enterprise, it means understanding how to get the most out your human capital while acknowledging your limited resources. This means taking on the responsibility of looking out for your team and owning up to them when you need their help. Doing this is harder than it may seem, as people do not automatically trust and respect their leaders, but instead need to build a trust and rapport that allows them to understand why you may be turning to them on an issue. The more you do it, though, the better the results.

Many managers (but few leaders) believe that making quick binding decisions is the essence of being a successful leader. This is of course not true. It is imperative for the … Continue reading Team Decision Making: Tips for Better Career Decisions →

Randy is more than a little anxious. He’s been moving ahead rapidly with his company, and he knows that his C-level managers see him as an emerging leader. Now, however, his boss has just presented him with a new challenge: mentor two impressive employees who have just joined the firm. Randy has had a few good mentors in the past, but there’s a big difference between having one and being one. He needs to be ready in two weeks. What to do first?

Randy begins to brainstorm and research. Within a few hours, he has the outline of a game plan and knows exactly what he needs to do to become a great mentor:

Develop a servant mentality Ask the right questions Cultivate their strengths Model executive presence Put them in the spotlight

Let’s take a more in-depth look at each of these traits now.

5 Ways to Be … Continue reading 5 Ways to Mentor Your People to Success →

You’ve seen multiple colleagues promoted ahead of you, despite your better job performance. You have received nothing but praise and great reviews, month after month, but still, career advancement eludes you. You don’t have time to delegate, and can’t take a holiday without being bombarded with questions only you can answer. Any of this sounding familiar?

Too often, hard-working, intelligent managers are passed over for promotions because they have struggled to make the necessary transition from their current role to a strategic leader for the business. In fact, they have become too good at their role, and therefore made themselves an indispensable part of their team, inhibiting both personal and team growth.

However, there is a solution.

Richard Jolly, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour in the General Management programmes at London Business School, writes extensively on the topic of indispensability, which has served for … Continue reading How being indispensable is hurting your career →

It doesn’t matter whether you’re the CEO of a major corporation or manage a small team of employees, you probably use or will use one or more of the leadership styles in this article at some point in your career.

From Mother Teresa to John Kennedy to Richard Branson, it’s apparent that there are many different kinds of leadership styles employed by leaders all over the world. From politics to the boardroom, every leader has certain executive traits and leading styles. If you’re an aspiring leader, how do you ascertain which style is best for you?

Psychologists and business leaders have narrowed down and categorized the ten most common styles of leadership. This leadership styles article will help you understand the different leadership styles out there and learn how to pick the style that’s right for you.

Different Leadership Styles Autocratic leadership.

Autocratic leadership is one of the … Continue reading Leadership Styles Article
What’s Your Style? →

Like all the skills in your professional toolbox, management skills require time and effort in development and practice in order to stay sharp and excel in today’s business market. Just as you consider the ongoing training and improvement of your staff and their skillsets, it is important not to neglect your own path. Make sure you’re continuing to hone your own qualities and flex your management muscles.

Take the time and energy needed to make sure you’ve got the following steps covered in your own development plan:

Identify Critical Management Qualities for Success

Where are your key skills? What are you good at? What areas would you like to develop to improve your management? Consider the following and make your own list.

Critical Qualities

Leadership Motivation Flexibility Determination Self-Confidence Decisiveness Sound Business Judgement

My Core Management Skills

Continue reading Business Management Development →

One certainty in life is that the future holds unpredictable changes. We start every day not knowing exactly what to expect. Life brings lessons and opportunities that we don’t always welcome. It forces us to take risks, become vulnerable, and open ourselves to the unknown.

If you can rise above your fears, you might become the special individual we’re all waiting for. View change as a good thing. Beyond every corner is a new opportunity waiting to be discovered. It’s easy to do things the way they’ve always been done. But to develop and use the visionary leadership mindset demands consistent outside-the-box thinking.

But how do you make a change when you have mortgages, kids, busy careers, and far too much to do throughout your days, weeks, and months? In order to make a change, you must lead your own change. This is done by becoming what I call … Continue reading In Facilitating Change a Leader Should
Turn Adversity into Advantage →