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Undercover Boss: It's never easy being the boss. But, somebody has got to do it.

NEW POST: Define the following terms:

• wholesaler
• innovation
• Strategize
• Empower
• criticism
• intimidation
• dictatorial
• evolving
• fluidity

Good Boss, Bad Boss

Author: Leah Darrow

Most business professionals will find themselves in a supervisory position at some point in their career, but unfortunately job experience does not always equate to managerial experience.  You may have been a fantastic wholesaler or salesman, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be great at managing wholesalers or a sales team.

Whether you’re a Michael Scott or a wanna-be Steve Jobs, there are a few simple strategies you can implement so your mug can read “World’s Best Boss”.

 1. Bad Bosses Control, Good Bosses Empower

It’s natural to feel that the company would run smoothly if only you could dictate every action of every employee every day.  But not only is that impossible, it would never get you the best results.  Heavy control squelches innovation and creativity.  When you empower your employees to take the initiative and try new things, you’ll be amazed what they’ll come up with.  Google famously allowed their employees to spend up to 20% of their time on “Innovation Time Off”, resulting in highly creative and profitable projects like Gmail and AdSense.

 2. Bad Bosses Blame, Good Bosses Strategize

When something goes wrong, as it inevitably does, the natural reaction is to find and punish the culprit.  While accountability is important, strategy is far more crucial.  The focus should be to find a solution to the problem, and implement a plan so it doesn’t happen again.

In 1998, Pixar was hard at work on Toy Story 2 when 90% of the film was accidentally deleted.  When Chief Technical Officer Oren Jacob rushed to the backup tapes, he found they had been corrupted as well.  Thousands of hours and millions of dollars would have been lost, had Technical Director Galyn Susman not taken her computer home for maternity leave.  She bundled the precious hard drive in blankets and drove it to the studio, where the majority of the film was recovered.

When asked which employee made the fatal mistake, Jacob said, “Let’s put the witch hunt away.  We’ve got to get the show back first.  Let’s not spend a week of our time trying to kill somebody.  Where’s the movie?”  Because of Pixar’s focus and efficient reaction, the film was saved.

 3. Bad Bosses Take Offense, Good Bosses Take Advice

You may think you have your finger on the pulse of the office, but I guarantee your employees know things you don’t.  The more you can communicate with your workers, the better informed and the more effective you will be.  Just remember, nothing stifles communication faster than a poor reception.  Even if your employees are the bearers of bad news or criticism, keep your ears and your door open.

 4. Bad Bosses Scare, Good Bosses Inspire

Many managers use fear and intimidation to keep their employees in line.  While scare tactics might work in the short run, they are rarely effective over time, and are never a substitute for the trust and respect a true leader commands.

Steve Jobs has become an unfortunate role model in this respect, as many bosses seem to think his harsh, blunt, and dictatorial style was the genesis of his success.  On the contrary, I believe Jobs was impactful because his passion, intelligence, focus, and decision-making were inspiring to his employees.  As Job’s biographer Walter Isaacson said to his many would-be imitators, “I hope you have his skill set.”  Though Jobs may have been gruff, it was inspiration and not cruelty that drove his employees.

A positive corporate culture, passion projects, and recognition programs are all tools that can be used to inspire your employees.

 5. Bad Bosses Stick, Good Bosses Stretch

Change is never easy, but the world is always evolving, and businesses have to do the same if they want to remain successful.  Five years ago, who would have thought that behemoths like Blockbuster and Boarders would be in bankruptcy?  They failed to adapt to changes in the way people consume media.

Other companies seize new opportunities and thrive: for instance, did you know that Nintendo got their start in good old-fashioned playing cards, or that the Tiffany’s jewelry empire was once a humble stationary shop?

Employees can be just as frightened of change as CEOs, so it is up to managers to lead the way in fluidity, innovation, and evolution.

 6. Bad Bosses Work, Good Bosses Delegate

You know the mantra “If you want something done, you have to do it yourself?”  Well, that phrase has no place in effective management.  Good bosses hire employees who are competent and trustworthy enough to get the job done.  That frees you up to work on the bigger picture.

What about you?

• Do you think you would make a good boss or a bad boss? 
• When you look at each of these traits which are you good at and which are you bad at?
• What kind of JOB do you want to do? Will you be someone's BOSS? How do you think people will react to you as their BOSS?

 NEW POST: "Me as a BOSS"

Write answers to the above questions, be sure to copy the questions into your BLOG as well. Your answers should be thought-provoking and provide content and detail. In other words write at least 50+ words to each of these questions.