I’m a rotten boss-I want to be a great boss

What’s your strategy for being a great boss? 

Your Rant: According to a recent 360 evaluation, a number of my people said they don’t feel comfortable talking with me about their problems. My boss just dropped this in my lap without offering any advice on how to fix it.

911 Repair:

Your e-mail reminded me of how a German nurse dealt with the incessant screaming of a newborn baby in the hospital nursery — she put Band-Aids across his mouth. However, she was the one screaming when hospital officials heard about what she did.

This is bad news, not only in a hospital nursery, but any work environment. Too many managers adopt the attitude that they can lecture their people into better performance. For tips on how to have better dialogue with your people, check out the strategies below. For more, check out “Fierce Conversations” by Susan Scott (Berkeley, 2002).

Do you talk most of the time? Regular readers of Working Wounded know I think the ears are a manager’s most important tools; while the tongue is something that needs to be used sparingly. Always start a difficult conversation with an employee by asking for their explanation and rationale. Heck, you just might learn something, and it will go a long way toward giving your people the confidence that you care about them and their performance.

Do you take the problem away from them? Many managers’ first reaction when confronted by a serious problem at work is to immediately try to take the problem away from the employee. This is fine, as long as you are willing to take on every problem that falls in the lap of one of your people. On the other hand, if you already have enough on your to-do list, you’ve got to encourage your people to own their own problems. Will they screw up occasionally? Of course. But they’ll also grow and develop skills to handle problems in the future.

Do you avoid talking about feelings? Work today is much less barking orders and far more “Dr. Phil.” It’s not only important to know what your employees are thinking; you’ve also got to stay on top of what they’re feeling.

Do you allow interruptions or frequently run out of time? Are you always running behind, taking phone calls or looking over your shoulder for the next crisis? This sends a powerful message to your people that they just aren’t that important. That’s why it’s important during a sensitive conversation with an employee to close your door, not answer your phone and give your undivided attention to them.

Do you fail to develop an action plan for moving forward? I hear all the time from people who have bosses who just can’t seem to forget mistakes the employee made years ago. Manage by looking forward and not by being stuck in the rear-view mirror.

Band-Aid solutions at work often create more problems over the long term. Use the strategies above to make a better connection with your people.

Bob Rosner and Sherrie Campbell author the nationally syndicated workplace911 column weekly. Bob’s a best-selling author and award-winning journalist who has responded to over 50,000 emails from employees, bosses and entrepreneurs. Sherrie’s a relationship expert and award-winning comedian who has offered quick, intuitive and humorous responses to over 30,000 people. He’s been called “Dilbert, with a solution.” She’s the counselor with a kick. Together they’ve turned rants into raves via TV, radio, print and live on their website at workplace911.com.