Personally, I have never had a perfect boss and do not believe they exist! On the other hand, I have had good bosses. These good bosses were flawed, made mistakes, and failed at things but wanted what was best for the company and its employees. Whether your immediate boss is a lead person, supervisor, manager, or corporate head, there are commonalities in their behavior and characteristics.
- A good boss makes their employees feel valued.
When the boss walks into the room and addresses everyone present, whether individually or as a group, it is a form of recognition and/or acknowledgment that you are part of a team. A “thank you” or a “please” can mean a lot and goes a long way in making that employee feel valued and empowered.
While verbal accolades are great sometimes more is needed to show an employee that he/she is valued. In addition to natural appreciation, a good boss will take other measures to prove they believe in the employee’s value. For instance, a good boss will take a few moments after project completion and handwrite a thank you or present the employee with a gift card or personalize an email to reflect on how the employee excelled. This could include noting specific areas of team leadership, recognizing them for performance improvements, or highlighting a specific skill the individual users without which the project likely would not have succeeded.
