Elements of Organizational happiness: Be the right Boss
The most discussed, disliked and liked person in the organization is generally the boss.
Most watercooler conversations have the Boss as the protagonist.
In the old order, the boss was overtly controlling, while in the new order, bosses are supposed to be the enabling ones. As the world order is changing, bosses are evolving from controlling to enabling. However, there are a whole lot who are still the “Controlling” type while their organizations need an enabler.
This blog is directed at bosses who are still not transforming even though the times have changed. This rigidity in turn creates an unproductive environment which becomes a bottleneck in the growth of the organization. The modern corporations need talent and the most important job of a boss is to nurture and retain talent. Those old days where getting a job was a big deal and where other than sticking to it, there was no choice for employees is long gone.
“ A good boss is not a person who keeps pushing his team for unreasonable targets and results, but demonstrates the path on which the target can be achieved and walks along with the team. “
Bad bosses happen to be one of the elements of the job which everyone has to tolerate. The bossy bosses used to ensure that every one in their team worked out of fear more than out of heart and soul. Those times, it was the manpower which mattered most.
Low salaries and highly process oriented work did not need a high level of talent, but just hands who could ensure that the work was done.
The modern corporation has to deal with rapidly changing times and have to keep ahead of the change curve. The only way that could happen is by nurturing and retaining talent that in turn can enable the organization to move to the next level. The bosses here become the enablers and coach their teams towards performing optimally. Jobs are aplenty and the tables have turned. It is not the employee who needs a boss, but a boss who needs their team the most to meet the targets.
Being a good boss is all about being a coach and a friend to his team. The team should look forward to their bosses for any help and direction to grow. Those times are passé when the boss has to be just a manager. A good boss gets hands on with his team and always takes the lead in demonstrating what needs to be achieved. His team can then improvise and take it to the next level. The experience of the boss, coupled with the energy of the team can do wonders. Several start-up’s which have grown rapidly are clear examples of how flat organizations can excel quickly.
A good boss is not a person who keeps pushing his team for unreasonable targets and results, but demonstrates the path on which the target can be achieved and walks along with the team. A great boss ensures that right marketing is always done for his team and accolades for good work is passed onto his team members.
Finally, it is not that a Boss leads an easy life as they have their team to depend upon.On the contrary, they have their own challenges to tackle as they have to facilitate the success of several people, not just their own anymore.
What kind of a Boss are you? Do you think your Boss leads by example? Share your experiences in the comments below.
Very good article again!! Been lucky to have bunch of bosses who shown the way by leading themselves in previous assignments and unfortunately when was in sears india assignment not seen such in the sense the vertical I was working with but not sears as whole as seen many great leaders in other verticals…the reason i could see they never brought in a culture when needed to be not just boss but friend,mentor who take rational decision rather than biased one…hope they’ll realize that need to change with Time is important..now working as a lead, i try to tune with sub ordinate rather than showing of being superior in position,work exp and this helped to get confidence ,tuning which helped to execute the goals which are being set…