Be A Better Boss

12 Pages 2905 Words

GO ON AN OCCASIONAL “LISTENING TOUR”
This worked really well for a coaching client recently, who had been appointed to a new high responsibility job in a new agency, where at some point she would have to create real pressure for change. She started her job right away by scheduling one-on-one time with each of her direct reports, spanning more than one city, by phone if not in person. She took an open-ended approach to learning what each person liked about their work, what they did not like so much, what they hoped to do or achieve in the long term, what they saw as potential problems for the agency, etc. She got to know them by just listening in a non-threatening way, which gave her a lot of credibility right away, even though she was replacing a popular predecessor and coming from the outside. She learned a lot that will make her more effective as she guides the organization in some new directions, and minimized the resistance she will likely encounter as she introduces new ideas and changes. This is something any boss can do informally any time, or periodically, no matter how long he or she has been in the position. Don’t make a big deal of it; just do it, or ask for time on people’s schedules just to catch up or take the pulse of the organization.

ASK WHAT PEOPLE WANT FOR THE LONG TERM
Asking does not obligate you to give everyone what they want, but it’s better to know than not to know. If you know what a person’s career or personal ambitions are, you can find creative ways to help them get where they want to go while also helping them serve the needs of the organization. You likely won’t keep people forever, but if you make their paths through your organization also serves their needs, you win a referral source for other new people to come to your organization in the future, and maybe a chance to rehire a “boomerang” – someone who someday comes back to your organization and helps in a new way – i...