Can You Be A Boss

Based on an extensive research the ‘Wirschaftswoche’, a leading German business magazine, published an article under the above headline (translated). Here are the key findings.

2/3 of the 2000 surveyed companies make it a specific requirement for their managers to improve the sense of gratification and satisfaction of their staff.
Below are 10 rules to achieve this. It is pointed out that many of these recommendations sound familiar as they seem to be timeless, though many managers find it challenging to apply them consistently at their daily work environment.

RULE 1 - BE A ROLE MODEL
Be trustworthy and dependable.
Be authentic. Authentic managers know their strengths and weaknesses, are open to positive and negative information, act in line with their values and visions, and are honest when dealing with others.

RULE 2 - HAVE YOUR STAFF HAVE A SAY
95% of staff grieves over a decision-making culture pretending to involve staff.
Staff need the feeling that their opinion is taken into consideration, especially when management decisions impact their direct work environment.

RULE 3 - ALLOW FREEDOM
Especially younger staff expects more freedom, like flexible working time, mobile working culture e.g. working from home, social networking during working time. The challenge is to find a balance between more trust and less monitoring.

RULE 4 - SET GOALS
Only 45% of managers communicate their goals.
Bosses need to set clear goals for their staff (specific, realistic, measurable, and timely) and discuss those frequently.

RULE 5 - BE A GOOD COACH
84% of staff is of the opinion that the regular review with the bosses is insufficient.
Staff show more effort and performance if there is a regular feedback loop.

RULE 6 - VALUE PERFORMANCE
66% of staff just work ‘according to the book’ as they don’t feel valued.
Little rewards are highly motivational. Any good reward system should fulfill two requirements. The boss should handle this personally. The system must be transparent and be based on solid reasoning.

RULE 7 - ALLOW MISTAKES
40% of staff is scared to make mistakes. Managers should allow their staff to go through a learning curve.
Managers should talk about their own mistakes, which will signal that mistakes are part of working.
If a manager needs to discuss a mistake with a staff, this should only take place during a personal discussion, 4 eyes only.

RULE 8 - BE FIRM
One troublemaker can disrupt the team spirit.
Managers should watch out for troublemakers and deal with them firmly. Troublemakers are defined as staff who are in for a free ride, grumble and find fault all the time, are always scheming and plotting.

RULE 9 - LISTEN
Only 16% of staff judges their bosses to be good listeners. Good listening is defined a observing the speaker whilst listening, let them finish talking, and ask many questions to verify.

RULE 10 - BE ABLE TO ACCEPT THE TRUTH
57% of managers cannot admit their own mistakes.