Becoming a good boss is not something that can happen overnight. It is an ongoing learning process with struggles along the way. But once you are able to achieve a perfect balance between the needs of your company, your employees and yourself, you know that you are on your way to becoming an effective and good employer whom people respect and revere. A good boss needs to possess certain qualities. He should have leadership skills because there is a significant difference between a follower and a leader and hence all good employees cannot be good bosses. A good employer treats all employees as valuable members of the organisation, from the file clerk to the CEO. He provides consistent benefits and fair compensation plans commensurate with market and contribution. He treats all employees with respect and courtesy and requires that the same treatment be accorded at all levels of the organisation. He realises that because employees are humans too, some things are truly beyond their control. So if something goes wrong, allow for some human limitation but your tolerance should not be abused by your employees by giving mediocre results.
It takes courage to give out commands and manage a large group, especially to take on full responsibility of your employees’ actions. Hence you should be very selective in finding the right kind of employees. If you end up with people who will put your name and reputation in danger, your company will be in serious trouble. So, check the background of all your potential employees. Be optimistic and smile all the time. You cannot expect your employees to produce excellent results if they see you sulking all the time. You have to realise that teaching people takes a lot of time and effort, so you have to exercise utmost patience.
A good employer has genuine concern about his employees and realises that they too have needs and feelings. Recognition, raise in workers’ compensation or rewards are some of the best ways to motivate your employees but you have to be tactful and keep them in discipline. During company outings, do not hesitate to show your employees the fun side of you. Joke and laugh with them and talk to them. Provide a learning environment for all employees to increase employee satisfaction. The rapid rate of change in technology demands that employees continually enhance skills and knowledge. Have an open door policy. A good boss has multitude rewards. You earn the loyalty and respect of your employees and your company progresses.
