‘It’s your personal issue. Don’t come to me talking about it.’

‘Don’t you know that I am working on really important things for the company? I don’t have time for this.’

‘If I wanted your opinion, I would’ve asked for it.’

‘We have always done it this way. Don’t use your brains.’

If you are the Boss in your company and you have said any of these statements, it’s time you had a one-to-one conversation with yourself.

I understand that you also have had many bosses whose rebukes you now want to lease out onto your employees. But listen to this,
“My boss is really awesome. He is so supportive and understanding. He gives me a say in discussions.”

or

“I hate my boss. He treats us like machines. He calls us to work even on a Sunday and never compensates.”

Out of these two, what would you like your employees to describe you as?

If the answer is the first one, read ahead.

• Lead, but learn also:

Often times after reaching a certain level of expertise, we tend to forget that there is still a large scope of learning. As a leader, you have to give your insight and experience into your team’s work. Hence, you forget that your employees’ also have certain experiences that you don’t and which would be great sources of learning, not only for you but for your whole team too.

Ask your employees what they think about the whole idea or product, what is their intake on your decision and how their new and intuitive ideas can benefit your company. Chances are you will find out how much fresh expertise your team has and can put it to good use.

After all, everybody likes a fresh dose of knowledge!

• Catch them doing something right, not wrong:

Criticism is more likely to occur to one’s mind rather than appreciation. It’s human nature, or rather a boss’s nature.

If you always keep finding faults in your employees’ work, you will stop seeing why you hired them in the first place. Try catching your staff when they are doing something right so that you can appreciate them at that moment.

Of course, criticism is very important for improvement. But you have to know when to stop.

Balance is necessary.

• Their faith is on you:

What does a person pursue with all their heart?

Their faith!

And that is what your employees’ have on you. If their faith is prone to shaking, so is your image as a good boss.

Developing faith can be quite a task and it comes gradually on its own. You can still take some measures to ensure that at least you are not losing any of the faith that you gained in the past.

Having a person-to-person conversation rather than a boss-to-employee conversation would really help. At times, understanding what they are going through can make you take better decisions for them.

• Accept your faults too:

If your employees are faulty sometimes, you are too.

Instead of hiding your mistakes, bring them out, onto your face and accept them. Take charge of whatever small or big you did. You are also human. You are allowed to commit mistakes. It will take effort but it will grant you much more respect than you already have.

Your team would appreciate a boss who is honest and is taking charge of his actions rather than a dictator who finds their faults but denies his own.

If you want them to be responsible, first lead by example.

• Respond. Don’t react:

This one is probably good for your health too.

Suppose one of your employees forgets to make the company’s website live on a certain day which costs the company a certain amount of money. You found out about it the next day.

Now, you have two choices, either you thrash him with harsh words which he is already expecting or you just respond in a composed manner asking him/her about what went wrong and how we can fix the situation.

If you choose to go with the latter, your employee would be surprised first of all and would come up with solutions and not lose his/her senses.

Fixing the problem is most essential and not finding out who was the cause for it.

• Health is the most important:

I know being a boss, you have a lot of stamina and can work on days for end. Your team is also an efficient and healthy group of individuals. This scenario could be turned upside down if you choose to neglect your team’s well-being, both mental and physical.

Grant them a leave if they are unhealthy. If they come to you with their problems, personal or professional, talk to them. I know your time is precious, but so is your employee.

You are not a boss without your team. They really matter!

• Defend whenever required:

Gaining your team’s confidence is only possible when you safeguard them from any professional adversity. Just like little saplings, they are in the learning process. They need protection. Becoming their confidante would benefit your team and increase the longevity of your company.

Defending them in front of external individuals would increase their faith in you and would want them to stay at your company for a longer time. In return, they would do the same for you. Tit-for-Tat!

• Lighten the mood:

The amount of stress you put onto your team must be directly proportional to the amount of happiness you create for them every day.

This is a part of their mental well-being. If they are in a good head space, they would emanate better proceedings.

Encourage office trips or parties. Celebrate important days. Birthdays, anniversaries or even Saturdays. It does not have to be a huge excursion, just a light and amusing event.

When your team realizes that you take care of them, they will give back that concern in double the amounts, perhaps double the revenue.

Create a better team head space. Become a better boss!