5 Signs You Have A Great Boss

During your career, you will encounter your fair share of bosses – some good, some bad – but if you’re lucky, you’ll have the pleasure of working for a great boss. Great bosses aren’t always the people you see on magazine covers profiling successful businesses. In fact, many of the best bosses prefer to avoid the limelight and quietly lead their teams to greatness. How do you know if your boss is a great boss? These five signs are good clues.

Measuring greatness isn’t an easy task. However, most good bosses share several traits in common. The great bosses ensure that the entire team is included, have a clear vision for the company, are not afraid to reach for their goals, work with team members as coaches and mentors, and are constantly improving their own skills. Look for the following signs and see if your boss is great boss material.

Is your boss fair?

Does he treat all employees fairly and with respect? A great boss treats all employees as part of the team and compensates them fairly. Beyond salary, a great boss also encourages feedback and creativity so that everyone is engaged. He gives employees the tools they need for success and innovation and doesn’t put up roadblocks and obstacles to doing their jobs. Good bosses treat all employees as equals and value their contribution to the team. Not only do great bosses offer respect, they command it as well. When treated fairly and given the tools and opportunities to shine, employees come to respect their leader.

Does your boss know where he is leading you and the company?

A great boss does. By knowing where the company is headed, what its mission is, and communicating it to all employees, the boss is shaping the company’s direction and adding a sense of importance to each employee’s position. Most businesses are in business to make money however they also have fundamental missions to fulfill in order to set themselves apart and fill a niche. A great boss has his eye on the bottom line, yet has the finesse required for balancing customer needs, employee needs, and company needs into a win-win-win solution. With a well-communicated, clear vision for the company’s direction, a great boss establishes a sense of importance to jobs and sets the company on a path for success.

Does your boss see a challenge and take it on without fear? Does he expect the same of you?

You know you have a great boss when he encourages you to face your obstacles and do your best. You may sink or you may swim. You won’t know until you try and a great boss wants you to try. A great boss understands that mistakes will be made here and there but is willing to help you learn from those mistakes and grow from them. A truly great boss knows that mistakes are learning opportunities and does his best to ensure you have ample opportunities to make mistakes.

What have you learned from your boss?

A great boss will act as a coach and will help you learn how to be all you can be. He understands that as you learn more, you’ll likely move on to greater positions and he may even lose you. But this doesn’t stop him. His genuine concern for your overall improvement and career success inspires him. As you gain more skills, don’t overlook the mentoring and coaching that took place. You didn’t acquire these skills on your own, if you have a good boss you were coached along the way.

A great boss is always learning.

Take a look at your boss’s desk. Is it loaded with the latest leadership or management books and motivational tapes? If your boss is committed to his own continuous improvement, you likely have a good boss who understands that strong leadership and management isn’t an ingrained talent, but a skill that must be learned and constantly sharpened. A great boss takes the steps required to become an effective leader whether it means reading books, listening to motivational tapes, attending management seminars and workshops, or learning from his own boss.

These five signs are clues that you have a great boss. When all five traits come together, you have an opportunity of a lifetime. It’s up to you whether or not to accept the mentoring that your boss offers. Even if you choose to show up, do your job, and go home without developing a relationship with your boss, you’ll find that when you have a great boss leading the way, your job is much more meaningful.

One word of caution, however, is that a great boss isn’t always the easiest boss to work for. In fact, when you have a boss that expects you to live up to your salary, follow the company’s vision, conquer your fears and overcome obstacles, and improve yourself, you may find that your job under this boss’s leadership is one of the more challenging jobs you will ever have. A great boss is all about expectations. She expects effort and rewards it. She understands mistakes and won’t crush you for them. Instead, she expects you to learn from them and expects you to understand the company’s mission and work to fulfill it. She expects continuous improvement and if you’re a star performer now, she’ll appreciate your current performance yet expect even better results the next time while you reach for new heights.

A good boss is also a great communicator. You’ll know exactly where you stand when you are under a great boss’s leadership. For example, your role on the team will be clear from the start. A great boss approaches the business with specific roles in mind for each project. He knows that football teams need a quarterback, kicker, offensive line, wide receiver, and defense among other positions. With that in mind, he assigns specific employees to specific tasks and communicates to each team member exactly what he expects of them. Like a football coach, he’ll let you know if your job is to carry the ball or punt. He will expect you to work with the other team members to achieve the desired goal.

During your career, you will be subjected to dozens of bosses. You’ll have good bosses, horrendous bosses, and mediocre bosses. Occasionally, you will get a great boss. When you do, you have an incredible opportunity for growth because great bosses aren’t all about being the boss. They genuinely care about their team members and want you to succeed – even if you succeed to the point where you outgrow your current job.

Great bosses are fair, with a clear vision, and willingness to overcome obstacles. They act as coaches and mentors to their team members, helping them to improve. In addition, they understand that their own skills are in constant need of improvement and work hard to become even greater bosses. A great boss will challenge you and you will become a better employee under their charge. In fact, someday, you may become a great boss yourself.

Which Career Suits You Best?

According to our parents, we should already be on our designated career path and be at least halfway to success already. But what if you’re like a lot of women who are still trying to figure out which kind of job suits you best?

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