A boss’ attitude, demeanor, and expectations have a direct make-or-break effect on his or her departments. It’s your job to make sure that your team is on their A game, moving projects forward and striving to achieve the company’s goals and initiatives.
Are you putting your best self forward in your executive role? Consider Arden Coaching’s five ways to be a better boss.
The 5 Ways to be a Better Boss
- Know Your Team Members as Individuals, Not by Their Job Titles
Your employees won’t stick around or work to their full potential if you don’t respect them as people. An effective leader can develop meaningful connections with the people they lead because they view and treat them as individuals with unique strengths and challenges, not just finance associates 1 through 8.
- Provide Regular Feedback to Your Team
Providing your team with consistent feedback allows them to improve and grow. Your direct reports aren’t mind readers. If you don’t provide each of them with feedback on their efforts and a sense of direction for their projects and tasks, you’ll likely see whole departments dismantle right before your eyes.
- Consider Future Career Plans for Each Team Member
Discussing an individualized career plan with each of your direct reports is essential. Employees who feel like they’re not advancing are bound to seek other opportunities where upward movement is more readily available.
By having a conversation about personal interests and long-term career goals, you can be not only a boss by default but also an advocate and resource for the professional development of the individuals on your team.
- Set Clear Goals
Effective bosses set clear expectations for their departments on both a small and large scale. Employees who are foggy on what they’re working toward and how it needs to be done can’t be held accountable for their actions.
To avoid valuable time being wasted doing guesswork, set your employees up for success by making intended outcomes known and linking required actions to the company’s larger goals.
- Hold Others and Yourself Accountable
As a leader at your organization, you rely on your teams to meet deadlines and work to their full potential. But you won’t be successful in holding others accountable if you don’t hold yourself accountable first.
In the eyes of your employees, you’re responsible for a number of responsibilities that help them do their jobs, from showing them how their position relates to the organization’s greater objectives to taking the time to get to know them, understand their strengths, and listen to feedback and requests.
By making accountability a two-way street, you’ll be more relatable to your team and get better results from projects across the board.
By taking these steps, you’re sure to improve the relationships you have with your teams while also setting a positive example for the interactions they have with others. Developing your leadership skills is what helps you to help your teams function an accelerated rate.
Learn how a coaching partnership could help you put your best executive foot forward by downloading Arden Coaching’s free guide, How Does an Executive Coaching Engagement Work?
