Are You a Good Boss—or a Great One?

Are You a Good Boss—or a Great One?
by Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback


“Am I good enough?”

“Am I ready? This is my big opportunity, but now I’m not sure I’m prepared.”

These thoughts plagued Jason, an experienced manager, as he lay awake one night fretting about a new position he’d taken. For more than five years he had run a small team of developers in Boston. They produced two highly successful lines of engineering textbooks for the education publishing arm of a major media conglomerate. On the strength of his reputation as a great manager of product development, he’d been chosen by the company to take over an online technical-education start-up based in London.

Jason arrived at his new office on a Monday morning, excited and confident, but by the end of his first week he was beginning to wonder whether he was up to the challenge. In his previous work he had led people who’d worked together before and required coordination but little supervision. There were problems, of course, but nothing like what he’d discovered in this new venture. Key members of his group barely talked to one another. Other publishers in the company, whose materials and collaboration he desperately needed, angrily viewed his new group as competition. The goals he’d been set seemed impossible—the group was about to miss some early milestones—and a crucial partnership with an outside organization had been badly, perhaps irretrievably, damaged. On top of all that, his boss, who was located in New York, offered little help. “That’s why you’re there” was the typical response whenever Jason described a problem. By Friday he was worried about living up to the expectations implied in that response.

Do Jason’s feelings sound familiar? Such moments of doubt and even fear may and often do come despite years of management experience. Any number of events can trigger them: An initiative you’re running isn’t going as expected. Your people aren’t performing as they should. You hear talk in the group that “the real problem here is lack of leadership.” You think you’re doing fine until you, like Jason, receive a daunting new assignment. You’re given a lukewarm performance review. Or one day you simply realize that you’re no longer growing and advancing—you’re stuck.
Most Managers Stop Working on Themselves

The whole question of how managers grow and advance is one we’ve studied, thought about, and lived with for years. As a professor working with high potentials, MBAs, and executives from around the globe, Linda meets people who want to contribute to their organizations and build fulfilling careers. As an executive, Kent has worked with managers at all levels of both private and public organizations. All our experience brings us to a simple but troubling observation: Most bosses reach a certain level of proficiency and stop there—short of what they could and should be.

We’ve discussed this observation with countless colleagues, who almost without exception have seen what we see: Organizations usually have a few great managers, some capable ones, a horde of mediocre ones, some poor ones, and some awful ones. The great majority of people we work with are well-intentioned, smart, accomplished individuals. Many progress and fulfill their ambitions. But too many derail and fail to live up to their potential. Why? Because they stop working on themselves.

Managers rarely ask themselves, “How good am I?” and “Do I need to be better?” unless they’re shocked into it. When did you last ask those questions? On the spectrum of great to awful bosses, where do you fall?
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Linda A. Hill is the Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.


Kent Lineback spent many years as a manager and an executive in business and government. They are the coauthors of Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader (Harvard Business Review Press, 2011), from which this article is adapted.

Three Year-End Innovation Takeaways from Asia

Three Year-End Innovation Takeaways from Asia

10:00 AM Wednesday December 29, 2010
Scott Anthony
On: Disruptive innovation, Technology, Competition

Our soon ending year, 2010, has been fascinating. I've had the good fortune to move to a new place (Singapore), which has served as a springboard to experience different cultures and do work in countries like the Philippines and South Korea. I've also had the chance to experience the world of venture capital investing through the small fund that our team in Singapore manages on behalf of the Singapore government.

There are three important things I will take away from this year:

The West is overly discounting Asia's growth potential. I argued a few months ago that the innovation axis was shifting from the West to the East. Silicon Valley remains the global hot spot of innovation, and America continues to churn out innovative companies like Groupon and Bloom Energy. But Eastern companies and entrepreneurs are gaining traction. Chinese companies like BYD are well positioned to lead the electrical vehicle market. Indonesia features a vibrant Internet ecosystem, with emerging startups providing unique services to the local context. Singapore is positioning itself as the global exchange, where West meets East and where India and China are both reachable via relatively short direct flights. And India's nation of entrepreneurs is driving change in market after market. The period of growth that Asia is enjoying still involves a heavy dose of replication and leveraging raw resources, but Western companies that discount the region's innovation potential do so at their own peril.

Innovation has never been more accessible. In October, I described how two entrepreneurs told us about the business they had built — featuring a fully functional website and lead customers — for less than $10,000. I argued in that post that the increasing ease of innovation meant that entrepreneurs were destined to become commodities. That point led to spirited discussion with my VC friends. All things being equal, of course, you'd rather have a skilled entrepreneur than an unskilled one. But just like Autotune and other technologies that allow passable music talents to turn into global powerhouses, lower costs and increased understanding of the process of innovation can allow anyone to be a competent entrepreneur. Companies in industries with fraying barriers to entry need to think about shifting their focus from fighting upstarts to working with them. Companies in industries with strong barriers to entry should think about taking advantage of the increased understanding of innovation to create businesses that only they can.

We're on the verge of a golden age of innovation. The 20th century innovator who had the most impact was probably Henry Ford. By showing the power of scale economics, he ushered in an era where behemoths created processes to spread their businesses around the globe. This quest for efficiency naturally crowded out more exploratory innovation efforts. Entrepreneurs and venture capitalists filled the void in some sectors of the world economy. Academic researchers began to focus more deeply on what historically seemed like the black art of innovation. Big companies began to attempt to manage innovation in a systematic way. As this knowledge continues to build and propagate, I believe there could be a wave of powerful innovation that addresses global challenges like poverty and resource scarcity. In particular, watch for markets that historically were inhospitable to entrepreneurs. There are some businesses that really could only be launched by large, established companies. As these companies figure out how to realize their full innovation potential, we could see some amazing things.

There is lots of work to be done, of course. There are two areas in particular that I think need greater attention from the innovation community:

The human side of innovation must be addressed. Innovation is, of course, an intensely human behavior. Increasingly, I've heard people at large companies ask how to create human resource systems that support innovation. The first thing I tell them is to make sure they aren't following policies that penalize innovation, particularly policies that punish prudent risk taking. But that's obviously not enough. We need to figure out how to create more systematic ways to track, measure, and reward people following behaviors consistent with successful innovation. We need to make sure we have systems that balance short and long term performance. Finally, we need to develop training programs that give leaders the necessary skills to master the paradoxes that increasingly appear on management's agenda. One book that I'm looking forward to reading next year on this topic is Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen and Clayton Christensen's work on The Innovator's DNA.

More focus must go to solving the first mile problem. I've been increasingly telling people that the key to successful innovation is to become a Latter-Day Edison. I particularly point to two great Edison quotes: "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration," and "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Most big companies are built to scale businesses, not start them. In my experience, the biggest challenge is the first mile — when a company takes that critical first step from a plan that looks great on paper to a revenue- and profit-producing business. Of course they can outsource the creation of new businesses to entrepreneurs, but they then have to pay hefty acquisition premiums for the successful opportunities, and they lose the ability to leverage all of their capabilities. Earlier this year, my colleagues Matt Eyring and Clark Gilbert wrote a must-read Harvard Business Review article that provides a conceptual way to address this challenge ("Beating the Odds When You Launch a New Venture"). The next step is developing the processes, tools, systems and structures to help companies more reliably pave the first mile of growth.

Next year, I plan to continue to do my best to make the best innovation thinking accessible to readers, with a particular focus on the ideas in this article. Happy holidays, and thanks for reading.

12 Things Good Bosses Believe

12 Things Good Bosses Believe

9:32 AM Friday May 28, 2010

Bob Sutton
On: Managing people, Managing yourself, Motivation

What makes a boss great? It's a question I've been researching for a while now. In June 2009, I offered some analysis in HBR on the subject, and more recently I've been hard at work on a book called Good Boss, Bad Boss (published in September by Business Plus).

In both cases, my approach has been to be as evidence-based as possible. That is, I avoid giving any advice that isn't rooted in real proof of efficacy; I want to pass along the techniques and behaviors that are grounded in sound research. It seems to me that, by adopting the habits of good bosses and shunning the sins of bad bosses, anyone can do a better job overseeing the work of others.

At the same time, I've come to conclude that all the technique and behavior coaching in the world won't make a boss great if that boss doesn't also have a certain mindset.
My readings of peer-reviewed studies, plus my more idiosyncratic experience studying and consulting to managers in many settings, have led me identify some key beliefs that are held by the best bosses — and rejected, or more often simply never even thought about, by the worst bosses. Here they are, presented as a neat dozen:
I have a flawed and incomplete understanding of what it feels like to work for me.
My success — and that of my people — depends largely on being the master of obvious and mundane things, not on magical, obscure, or breakthrough ideas or methods.
Having ambitious and well-defined goals is important, but it is useless to think about them much. My job is to focus on the small wins that enable my people to make a little progress every day.
One of the most important, and most difficult, parts of my job is to strike the delicate balance between being too assertive and not assertive enough.
My job is to serve as a human shield, to protect my people from external intrusions, distractions, and idiocy of every stripe — and to avoid imposing my own idiocy on them as well.
I strive to be confident enough to convince people that I am in charge, but humble enough to realize that I am often going to be wrong.
I aim to fight as if I am right, and listen as if I am wrong — and to teach my people to do the same thing.
One of the best tests of my leadership — and my organization — is "what happens after people make a mistake?"
Innovation is crucial to every team and organization. So my job is to encourage my people to generate and test all kinds of new ideas. But it is also my job to help them kill off all the bad ideas we generate, and most of the good ideas, too.
Bad is stronger than good. It is more important to eliminate the negative than to accentuate the positive.
How I do things is as important as what I do.
Because I wield power over others, I am at great risk of acting like an insensitive jerk — and not realizing it.

What do you say: does that about cover it? If not, tell me what I missed. Or if you're not quite sure what I mean in these brief statements, stay tuned. Over the coming weeks, I'll be digging into each one of them in more depth, touching on the research evidence and illustrating with examples.

If you're like most people I meet, you've had your share of bad bosses — and probably at least one good one. What were the attitudes the good one held? And what great, workplace-transforming beliefs could your worst boss never quite embrace?


Robert Sutton is Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University. He studies and writes about management, innovation, and the nitty-gritty of organizational life. His new book is Good Boss, Bad Boss.


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Shankar Raman 7 months ago

Bob,

Thanks. This is terrific.

I like Tara's reformulation. I have two additional rules that I try to follow: I will put people in positions where their strengths are used to the best effect and will not put them in roles where their strengths are not used.

Additionally, I am accountable and responsible for the success and failure of my people. If some one in my team screws up it's because, more often than not, they were not set up adequately for success.

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Tara Rodden Robinson 7 months ago in reply to Shankar Raman

Hi Shankar,

Thanks for the kind feedback and kudos for the additions. Well done!

Thanks,
Tara

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hezi Lapid 7 months ago in reply to Tara Rodden Robinson

I would add: Keep your ears and mind "open" to your people

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Silas 6 months ago in reply to hezi Lapid

I would add the very popular one (in DK anyway): Even though I'm the boss, I too can be replaced, and on that note I'm equal to my employees and should act accordingly.

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Tathagat Varma 7 months ago

Bob,

This is super stuff. I treat this as human-centric leadership - this leadership is really all about being one of the regular guys and not someone who was hand-crafted by the angels (or the elite campuses) as someone special! This takes away the notion of a Superman / Demigod leader and establishes a leader who is as fallible as his/her followers, is vlunerable, is not a perfect ten, and so on.

If I were to just add one more thing to make it a Baker's Dozen, that would be developing the followers - the best bosses I have seen and worked with were the ones who generously gave away their territory to their not-yet-quite-so-ready followers and without feeling intimidated or uncomfortable about loss of their own 'position' or 'power'. I think the good bosses manage businesses very well, the very good bosses lead followers very well, but the excellent ones grow leaders better then themselves, often at the cost of making themselves redundant.

regards,
Tathagat
(Edited by author 7 months ago)



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Mmartinak 6 months ago in reply to Tathagat Varma

The part about followers is wonderful. You have to be generous enough to help your followers to the leadership role, even if that means they leave to go to a better job elsewhere.

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Reader 6 months ago

When I was working at IBM I pleaded for evidence-based evaluations through all the channels available to me as an employee. One manager told me "You won't get examples" when I asked for examples regarding my performance. Other colleagues were also stunned, if not mentally shocked by their evaluations, by both written and verbal comments. A few colleagues brought there evaluations to me and I was stunned too by how they were being evaluated. The managers appeared to be extremely insecure and lacked the emotional intelligence required to even consider the 12 things good bosses believe. Sadly, the company culture is based on severe intimidation and disrespect and promotes competition amongst it's employees. Myself and a number of other colleagues had to get treated for trauma and left the company. I would like to see workplace bullying or workplace abuse become a health hazard that companies by law have to warn their employees about. Unfortunately, HR is a watch dog for the company regarding labor laws and human rights. HR only ensures that the company is not sued and is completely indifferent to the "human resources" as human beings. Big changes are needed in these types of people abusing corporations.

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Christine 6 months ago in reply to Reader

Many years ago, I remember telling a boss I worked with, that he should not confuse hatred and fear for respect. Meaning that his management style earned him hatred from his employees and the first chance they would get, they would jump ship and watch him drown alone.
I would agree that companies have a responsibility to ensure that bullying and abuse is not tolerated. I also agree that HR has a responsibility to enforce the company's respectful workplace policy. If your organization has a clear policy, it must include training, education and awareness. It should also include consequences. As an HR representative and a Training and Development Specialist, I encourage all employees to say it if they see it. I believe that if you allow your team the courage to address issues, challenge inefficiencies or inequalities, and confront any behaviour that goes against the organization’s values, you will have a solid and healthy organization. In my experience, Bosses, who encourage this, are rewarded with dedicated teams who will not let him/her drown alone.

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Brivera215 6 months ago in reply to Christine

I so agree with you. At my last two jobs I would have abandoned ship because my boss saw nothing further than the sight of his nose. HR was oblivious to the abuse and the harassing environment the workers were put through everyday. My co-workers like to intimate their subordinates and it was of no consequence to them. Unfortunately, turn-over was constant but not in the right places. I now have a great boss, and she is smart, respectful, doesn't micro-manage and has a great team. I would never want her to get in trouble by her boss due to our lack of diligence. I would not let her drown alone. We should all be able to work in an environment as I do now. If we follow these steps in not just our work place but in everyday challenges we to will have much success. Thank you for your reply.

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UK 6 months ago in reply to Reader

This is so relevant to my scenario. I worked for LG. My Manager never gave my Performance Review and when I asked him for it. He said you were not at your desk. What a sign of an excellent Manager? There are only 45 engineers in all and every year 20 of them leave to find best opportunities. HR doesn't care about losing valuable employees and VP cares less. In all, I am happy I left this place. I worked hard, spent so many nights at my workplace in part screwing my personal relationships and on top of it, a Manager who gained his spot solely because he wouldn't confront VP (Because of Culture - you come to Land of Opportunities but can't leave forbidden culture behind - Excellente). What a wonderful match made in Management Matrimony.

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shirley dockerill 6 months ago in reply to Reader

and what happens when it's the bullies who inhabit HR?

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joanie 7 months ago

Great insight! I really like what you've said here and I may have missed what I'm going to say in the follow-up, but I don't see anything about expectations. A wonderful global HR director once told me...people need 3 things...To know what's expected. To know how they are doing in terms of those expectations and to know how you(as their boss) are going to help them get there.
Seems to me, a good boss would have to buy into this.

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Ashok Kumar J. 7 months ago

Hi Robert,

All the 12 points were terrific. I believe the 13th should showing Love to the employees.... haha! you can stop laughing now, I ain't kidding. Sit and talk with the employee and make them feel special and make them feel like its their own firm at the same time have control over them. Engage them at the work place. This works for me!

Thanks.

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Judy Nelson, JD, MSW, CPC 7 months ago

The high number of responses to this post is an indicator of how important your words are. In fact, looking back on 30 years as a CEO, my own cluelessness about how I came across was the biggest barrier to greater effectiveness. Now, how can we help upcoming leaders figure this out early in their careers rather than at the end?

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Demetrius Nunes 6 months ago

I only disagree with number 10. Sometimes, focusing on what's right (ie. doing more of it) is as or more important than trying to fix what's wrong.

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Christian Maurer 5 months ago in reply to Demetrius Nunes

I support your view. Gallup has extensively researched the benefits of building on strengths rather than eliminate weaknesses.

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Geri Stengel 7 months ago

Your 12 attributes of leadership are a valuable contribution because they emphasis two dimensions of leadership that is sometimes overlooked: Daily behavior and treatment of employees. Every good leader stands on the shoulders of good employees.

Happily, our beliefs are supported by new research that showed even employees on the bottom-rung of the ladder can improve profitability if treated well.

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penyart 7 months ago

I think the optimism of the boss, and not just towards the job and career, but towards the people and life in general, lead to a team that outperforms others. With an optimistic approach the other 12 points occur without them seeming overbearing.

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Orangeball 6 months ago

How about: Good bosses (aka leaders) ask lots of questions. Bad bosses (aka managers) make lots of statements.

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Charlie Derr 7 months ago

Maybe it's just me but I find the tone of many of these a bit obnoxious. The content is good, but the constant use of the "possessive" form is really grating to me. Wouldn't we all rather work for someone who doesn't convey ownership when speaking about us?

To be explicit I'm referring to phrases such as "my team" or "my people". I think creative humans deserve more autonomy than that.
thanks for listening,
~c

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Monica 4 months ago in reply to Charlie Derr

I see it as rather a matter of affiliation than ownership of the team. People in my team refer to my team as "my team" just as well.

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Bryan 7 months ago

A very interesting article, and discussion to follow.

I cannot help but think that rule number 1 for me is to show my people sufficient respect that they know that I will correct them if they are doing something wrong, for otherwise they can never have confidence that they are doing anything right.

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago in reply to Bryan

Bryan,

I think this is a key point, and consistent with evidence that the best bosses and workgroups and subordinates do not let mistakes slide. Their is constant error identification, correction, and learning in an atmosphere of trust -- Amy Edmondson's research shows this for example. Thanks, Bob

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Nathan 1 month ago in reply to Bob Sutton

Bob,

"There...", A bit anal retentive I accept, but extremely pertinent to your comment.

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Peter 1 month ago in reply to Bob Sutton

And as long as they recognise the good work and regularly praise this. This will realy boost confidence.

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Luis Eduardo Dejo 7 months ago

What about life-work balance? Is there anything there in good bosses?

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Elizabeth Chee 7 months ago

Great article! I couldn't help chuckle over #5. Two more to think about would be an article that I have read in the NY Times, "The secret to happy employees", some time back which I thought was really true.
1. Bad Management can make good employees dysfunctional while Good Management may not always make a dysfunctional employee good.
Something more pragmatic below:
2. To keep employees happy - Continue to treat the happy ones well and let the unhappy ones go. (This one reinforces #10 :) )

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago

I want to thank everyone for the very thoughtful comments, but I especially and struck by Marc and Richard. Marc wanted more specificity about the context and Richard wrote commented how hard it was to do all this stuff. Those are both excellent comments, and to me, get at two elements of leadership that I did not explore here, but are important to emphasize. Both stem from my belief that management is a craft that -- although it can be practiced better by people who know the evidence -- can only be learned through experience and a process of trial and error. And just because you can practice the craft well in one place does not mean you can practice it well in another, as there is organizational specific knowledge to learn. To me, this means that -- although evidence-based guidelines like these can help over the long haul, if anyone tells you that they have magic list that will make you a great boss, they are lying. At the same time, and this is for Marc, if I carefully parsed the conditions under which each of these or any other guidelines should be used more or less, and all the other boundary conditions, it would be so complex that the list would be dull and useless. I also believe that it is generally useless to do so because management requires so much craft knowledge and experience and local knowledge that academics are ill-suited to make such precise pronouncements. I believe the best we can do is to help bosses practice their craft a bit better, to learn from setbacks a bit faster, and suffer a bit less along the way, but I have no magic to offer.

Thanks again for the great comments. I will be explaining these points during the coming couple weeks, which i hope will answer some of the questions raised, and provoke many others as well.

Bob Sutton

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Abhijit Kar 7 months ago

Hi Bob, thanks for sharing these thoughts. Another important point in my opinion is: The art of listening and interpreting the intended message correctly, followed by an appropriate and visible action - whatever the issue is, and however small it may be - once it reaches your ears. Listen, listen and listen....then act decisively, is the sign of a true leader/boss.

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Richard Guha 7 months ago

It strikes me that these excellent findings are incredibly difficult to do. As someone who has both experienced others' failures in this area, and done a fair bit of failing myself (hindsight is always 20:20), the level of self-awareness required is as much as challenge as in relationships in our personal lives. Perhaps each of needs to learn from the mistakes of others and ourselves. I have seen so many people, who experiencing flawed bosses, determined to do better, but when given the opportunity, failed to do so. Sadly, in most cases they thought they were great bosses, even to the extent of publicly self-congratulating themselves. I wish there were a way to hold a mirror up to each of us, other than the ridiculous 360 reviews, which I have seen used to pay off old scores or for political purposes more than for valid feedback. So how do we get managers to learn how to become closer to this ideal?

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Christine 7 months ago

Bad is definitely stronger than good. It only takes one bad experience for a person to choose to leave an organization or a customer to stop buying from one. Inevitably people are more likely to avoid and / or complain about bad service or products than recommend and / or give positive feedback about good ones. There is a lot of different research to support this. I'm interested to see what people think about it when presented.

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garymonti 7 months ago

Robert, This is succinct. In line with this, I've found when hiring people a question worth asking is, "What do you do when you make a mistake?" The conversation around this question reveals the most about myself and the prospective hire and is a good indicator of how we could (or could not) move forward.

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Cathy MacMillan 7 months ago

Having worked for a very cruel boss and now being a boss myself, I think the most important rule is to treat your employees as you would like to be treated as an employee. Let them be in control of their lives in all aspects. It's empowering, respectful, and deserved. After all, your business is built by the sweat of their labour.

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Carmilla5 5 months ago

In all my years of working (30+) I have yet to work with a 'good boss'. Most leaders/managers cannot manage themselves, let alone anyone else. It seems the best managers are actually not managing as part of their job description it comes as part of someone's nature.

As a 'boss' you are not going to keep everyone happy all of the time but I believe honesty, clear communication, vulnerability, clear boundaries & an intent of the best in every dealing will certainly help any boss along to get the best out of their team.

I think it is a fine line but the guy I work for at present is probably about 16 emotionally, is off the planet most of the time worrying about his marriage and not doing very much to help it whilst being no support to his team, oblivious to really the running of the place yet marching out orders continually without any forethought to what he actually wants. I am critical because his ineffectual behaviour is teaching me how to be a better team player and seeing when things don't work then knowing how things might work better.

After asking him for more feedback, appreciation, praise, I have had one thank you in 5 months which was said as a rather sarcastic throw away line. You ask why I stay? Well I have learnt much in this job (PA for a busy surgeon) and will take away much good fodder for my next career after a wonderful 2 month stay in Paris/UK for my 50th birthday in November, so I am not here much longer, thank goodness!

Carmilla x

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Bob Sutton 5 months ago in reply to Carmilla5

Carmilla,

Thanks for the thoughtful comment. In fact, speaking of thanks, as your story imply, it just amazes me how some bosses -- and peers and yes subordinates too -- don't bother to say those little words. One of my favorite management books ever, Up The Organization, by the late Robert Townsend (which was written before blogs existed, but is sort of a series of great blog posts) has an entire page that says only "THANKS. A really neglected form of compensation." In fact, I think I will put this on my blog right now! Bob

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Carmilla5 5 months ago in reply to Bob Sutton

Bob, thanks for your reply. After watching the Undercover Boss last night on telly, it just hammered this thank you issue in even more. Watching big boss from White Castle, acknowledge, give thanks, support & financial backing to many staff who as 'small fry' or a blip on the map was absolutely moving. I imagined myself receiving such praise & support and my heart lifted and I could feel a change in my whole being from just being seen. I am upped with the future of work/life because what I see 'out there' in media of all types is that we are questioning more and more why we work, how we work and who we work for. This has to be good! You are doing this work and I thank you for such groundbreaking service! warmest wishes Bob, Carmilla x

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago

Jeff and Tara,

I am a big fan of appreciative inquiry. But I look forward to talking about this point more as there is a quite strong empirical case that wallop packed by "bad" experiences and such is so much stronger (typically 5 times stronger) that getting rid of the negative should be the first order of business. Also note I am NOT encouraging people to BE BAD rather to get rid of it. Stay tuned, I will do a post on this and the other 12 points. And thanks for your comments.

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OConnorKA 5 months ago in reply to Bob Sutton

Bob - when you write more about getting rid of the negative, I would love to hear more about when to balance it with a focus on the positive. It's depends on the context, it seems to me. In running a social media site inside my organization's firewall, I've been trying to decide whether or not to tackle the negative or highlight the positive. I was told an old "online community maxim" which is - some people are mean, and some people are weird, and they'll take those attitudes with them no matter what technology you're using. The best way to control it is to elevate good content instead of bad..."

Another HBR article in which appreciate inquiry of sorts has been influential to me was "Your Company's Secret Change Agents" from May 2005 that discussed "finding areas of 'positive deviance' and fanning their flames."

It would be helpful to get thoughts on when to focus on accentuating the positive over the negative and when eradication of the negative is key.

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Ruchir 5 months ago

I really like and agree with number 2. Its too easy to focus on the big and the fluffy picture. Don't get me wrong, it is important as the point says. However, in my opinion the big picture only needs to be visited a few times to make sure the team is on track. Talking about the 'magical', the fatastic and the "visionary" breakthroughs always brings in praise and is impossible to disagree with, but it doesnt do much for the business or team. Its the uncelebrated, the mundane and the routine that defines a well run business. A good manager masters and perfects this. The author is spot on with this. Thanks a lot of putting this high up on the list.

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Bob Sutton 5 months ago in reply to Ruchir

Ruchir,

Thanks for the comment. It has struck me that this is sometimes a problem among bosses who love the concept of being leaders, with big bold plans and visions, but treat the managerial work required to turn vision into reality as dirty work that is beneath them, as something that the little people do. And in fact too many leaders paint lovely strategies and big goals but lack the skill required to break it into pieces so it gets done. It is a little harsh, but there is a great saying from Army Corp of Engineers that I have always liked: "Strategy is for amateurs; logistics are professionals," not bad.

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mark allen roberts 7 months ago

Great content I plan to share,

Some of the best leaders were not those in the spotlight, but humble and were constantly seeking new information to make decisions based on current facts not gut and intuition as I discuss in my blog : Your “gut” and “intuition” are not enough…today http://nosmokeandmirrors.wordp.../
.

Mark Allen Roberts

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Annan Sohail 5 months ago in reply to mark allen roberts

agreed as well said by writer of emotional intelligence, year 2003, intuition is not a research based method

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Naveen Goel 4 months ago

Hi Bob,

I just read your article. Great list! I hope I am not too late to post my comments. My thoughts on similar topic are shared ar my newly started blog: http://naveenpgoel.blogspot.co.../.

All feedback, suggestions and related thoughts are welcome!

Regards,
Naveen Goel

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Gayle Watson 7 months ago

I like the list of 12 Things Good Bosses Believe. It affirms our experience establishing values-based leadership at JetBlue and other companies. I think it goes beyond beliefs, to real behaviors. Leaders need to decide what they stand for, then have the discipline to live it every day. How leaders treat people, both employees and customers, is at the heart of the 12 Things Good Bosses Believe. Here is a video I like with Ann Rhoades speaking about leading with values: http://www.peopleink.com/Video....

I'd like to hear more discussion about the evidence of relationship between 12 Things Good Bosses Believe, people-centric corporate cultures, and high performing companies.

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@jyi 7 months ago

Robert, I had to read your intro twice to reorient myself that you were specifically addressing the leader’s MINDSET. My first reading left me feeling like the list was self-absorbed – which I believe is quite the opposite of your intent. Ironically, this may also be one of the key downfalls of managers with good intent to be good bosses. They mentally THINK a certain way – and sincerely believe they are delivering it, but somehow the execution or delivery doesn’t quite match the mindset.

I fully agree a good boss has high “emotional intelligence” and is keenly aware of self and their impact on the team; however, ultimately their teams only know and benefit from the outward actions. The gap between “knowing” and “doing” is often glaringly large. I suppose, my bias for good bosses lean toward those who SHOW me they care and want ME to succeed. In that vein, I offer these additions to your list:

• Realizes that just because one “did it” does not mean they “got it”. Good bosses own the burden of showing/telling it again or in a different way, because they perceive it as their duty to communicate and not “their” problem if they missed it.
• Does not fear one’s own value. Good bosses are continuously working themselves out of a job by identifying and grooming future leaders.
• Humbles oneself so that others may be praised. The good bosses realize that they are curators or facilitators, not the stars.
• Understands that (most) people can’t read minds. Good bosses are clear and consistent.

Thanks for the article, made me think this beautiful Friday morning!
Judy Yi

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brsa 7 months ago

I think regarding #10...it feels better to focus on the positive, but I think that can come across as somewhat Pollyanna. I think Appreciateve Inquiry is "nice" but not necessarily appropriate in all situations. I've certainly been in the room with the AI types, and even with my own preference for optimism or positivity, I'm often left with a bit of a toothache from the vernacular ;)

I'd be interested the the author's evidence leading to #10 vs the feeling side that pushes many to the positive.

I think there's a balance - too much on either side is dangerous.

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Titanium cranium 7 months ago in reply to brsa

I like to explain #10 this way: Think of Michaelangelo carving a statue. What does he do? He focuses all of his effort on removing everything that doesn't look like David. He doesn't spend any time on the "positive" aspects of his work: parts that do look like David. Why should he? His work is all about "eliminating the negative."


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Tara Rodden Robinson 7 months ago in reply to brsa

Hi brsa,

Good point--AI has to be tempered by what Jim Collins referred to as "confronting the brutal facts."

Best wishes,
Tara

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago in reply to Tara Rodden Robinson

Tara and Brsa,

I like your comments on balance. This is one of those things I have been fretting over and reading research on for decades (and I published a few papers of me own early in my career), and at least my reading of the current research is that the most effective people and teams are high in both positive and negative emotion -- and to go beyond these data and to add my experience observing and coaching bosses and teams -- I would say that some of the best bosses are "happy worriers," optimistic about the outcome of what they are doing and pushing people forward with their positive energy, but constantly worrying over he details of what they are trying to accomplish at the moment. This is exactly how I would describe IDEO's rather magical founder, David Kelley.

P.S. In the name of intellectual honesty, however, not all studies support my happy worrier idea. Harvard's Teresa Amabile and others did one of the best longitudinal studies ever done of creative teams, and her research showed that pure positive emotion -- not a mix of positive and negative -- was the hallmark of the best teams. And I would add that even if I think about the Happy Worrier stuff, a ratio of about 80% happy and 20% worry seems about right to me as negative emotions are so powerful and so destructive (see my point "Bad is Stronger Than Good") that a little bit goes a long way. I will be expanding on both these points here, thanks for giving me something to thinka bout.


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Tara Rodden Robinson 7 months ago in reply to Bob Sutton

Hi Bob,

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and respond. You're probably already familiar with the work of Barbara Fredrickson, yes? Her research shows that three positive emotional experiences are needed to balance (or overcome) each negative one. So negative seems a bit heavier, perhaps, than positive. All the more reason to cultivate happiness day in and day out.

Thanks again,
Tara

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Ted L. Simon 7 months ago in reply to Tara Rodden Robinson

I like Tara's point. It's pretty universal. Ask anybody who's coached Little League or youth soccer -- good coaching clinics will tell you "Praise positive performance AT LEAST 3 times for every critical comment." Guess that means if you can motivate a group of 11 and 12 year old kids to perform on a baseball diamond, you may have at least some of what it takes to lead a group of adults.

Cheers,
Ted

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Tara Rodden Robinson 7 months ago

Hi Bob,

Wow, thanks for both the terrific post and the tease for the upcoming book--I'm looking forwarding to reading it! In the meantime, a couple of comments.

Part of what's implied in your beliefs, but perhaps not stated explicitly, is the willingness to allow others to contribute one oneself. It's the ability to encourage trust and create an atmosphere in which people can "speak truth to power" that's key. If leaders/bosses are unwilling to listen to and for things that are hard to hear, then they risk becoming "bad" bosses.

Many best wishes,
Tara

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khaleel 5 months ago

the most essential things for a boss in any organization are AAA
Alive, Alert, Aggressive towards work.effective utilization of these, i.e right word at the right time & place will decide he/ she weather Good or Bad Boss.

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Steve Korn 6 months ago

Very good list. To these I would add half dozen of my own:
1. Compensation is important. Pay people fairly, review compensation on time, and most importantly pay incentives consistently on time—don’t make people wait or guess. Consistency and timeliness are more important than amount.

2. Compliment in public with specifics. Criticize and coach in private

3. Workplace is not a democracy. However, take the time to listen to other points of view, and then decide. People will value being listened to

4. Give people projects that stretch them, and they learn something

5. Use stories to make your point

6. Move negative people out of the organization.

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Elizabeth Garber 6 months ago

My best boss - the only great boss I've ever really had - believed in all of these. There was something else too: she believed in helping her people understand the concepts (including many of these) that would help them win politically and make them more effective in the organisation. In so doing, she became more effective.

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Mike 6 months ago

Excellent list Bob, and great stuff in many of the comments.

Here are two points I'd add, though I'm not sure if the second has wide applicability:

1. I have to understand that being in my company is just one segment of my employees' career. Someday they'll leave. And it's part of my job to help them do so when the time is right. This means helping them with their career development from the day they join the company, and often long after they've left. Having an overly possessive attitude (or alternatively, an apparent uncaring attitude) is as unseemly in a boss as it is in any other relationship.

2. I don't manage my employees' time, and this includes not managing their other projects. Most of my employees have outside projects going on, and I do what I can to help them with those, so long as they don't get in the way of what we're doing. But I find that this helps them trust me more and paradoxically helps them focus on what we're doing more, since they're not having to scuttle around in the dark trying to keep something secret.

Overall, I do my best to treat my employees as adults and professionals. If I wanted serfs I would track their hours, their dress code, their bathroom breaks, etc. What I want is people who work with me to the best of their ability and all our ability, and that means treating them as people who are bought into the same vision (and when they're not, letting them go).

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Lisa Bruckner 7 months ago

Thank you for this very nice article. The only addition I might humbly add from personal experience is:

Offer quality training opportunities, then get out of the way. A good boss isn't a bottleneck.

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago in reply to Lisa Bruckner

I like the advice about knowing when to get out of the way... one my personal blog www.bobsutton.net I have a list of 17 Things I Believe and the first one is "Sometimes the best management is no management at all." Thanks,

Bob

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tsai 6 months ago in reply to Bob Sutton

I think we need to be careful when we say '... get out of the way ...' and '.... no management at all.' 'No management at all' is a form of management; a higher form of management that can be exercised because:
1) your people are knowledgeable, competent, equipped and empowered
2) you and they share the same value system

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Steven Hudson 7 months ago

Number 10 is a killer…the old saying “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch”.

Having the best skills is great but if the person is negative it can destroy a complete team with one negative comment. That’s why I will always employ someone with a positive attitude, even if they have still don’t have the skill levels over some one with Master level skills but down right negative to the bone, particularly if it is a team environment.

Who was it that wrote “Success through a positive attitude”?

Cheers

Steven Hudson

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Jess Flynn 7 months ago

Fantastic post Bob - thanks for the inspiration at the start of the week. This new boss appreciates the perspective. I'd add - never underestimate the power of the personal in business. The phrase ‘it’s just business’ is all well and good, but at the end of the day emotions and personalities run through the veins of every aspect of business. Ignoring that takes the soul out of what you do.

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Monal_bhattad 5 days ago

its a very value addition article with thought provoking blogs. The value can be liquidified only when such these qualities are implemented while practising leadership. But 1 thing I need to add is that implementation of qualities depends on follower to follower, circumstances to circumstances . The best leader is the 1 who understand the circumstance, follower,consequences and acoordingly implement the most suitable quality.
And I thoroughly supposrts the point that leader should always look for their followers growth & well being. It is this quality which leads to the success of the leaders success.

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Bob Sutton 1 week ago

I want to thank HBR readers for making this the most read post of 2010. I am delighted but also slightly troubled because I still have two more points to finish -- it feels like getting an A on an unfinished paper! I will wrap it up in the next few weeks or so, and once again, thanks so much for supporting this post and the ideas in Good Boss, Boss, the book these ideas are drawn from. Here is the story about the top HBR posts of the year:

http://blogs.hbr.org/hbr/hbred...

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RobertoR 3 weeks ago

Great stuff Bob..Thanks

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Mirela (Mgr) 1 month ago

I would add here as well "supporting my people to develop their career towards their own aspirations", even if this means losing that individual from the team at some point. If one of your team members feels that they cannot achieve their goals in your team, or you do not support them, they would go anyway - so rather help them develop, maybe even have them stay with the company and fullfill their dreams here, rather than letting them go for a competitor.

Do you also feel that developing your people is key to your succes as a manager?

http://projectmanager1.blogspo...

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guest 2 months ago

They are not "your people"; Lincoln freed the slaves and what you say reflects how you feel about the people you work with.

If your team has a boss, you do not have a team. You have a 1970s top down management scheme but you are calling it something else to try to be hep; the employees know the difference.

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Lance Equinen 3 months ago

Why doesn't the last two out of the dozen contain hyperlinks?

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Sarah Green 3 months ago in reply to Lance Equinen

Hi Lance,

The series is still in-progress, and the last two posts in the series are yet to be published. Once they're live, we'll make sure to update this post with the hyperlinks.

Thanks for your interest in the series!

All the best,
Sarah Green
HBR Associate Editor

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Christine Korza 1 month ago in reply to Sarah Green

It's been two months since the last article. When is this series going to be finished? I was really liking it...

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Ricardo Costa 4 months ago

This comment was flagged for review.
Bob Sutton 4 months ago in reply to Ricardo Costa

Ricardo, nice suggestions. I spent a couple days at IDEO this week, the renowned design firm, and one of the partners said almost the same thing you are suggesting that, in essence, the reason they do things -- how they treat people and do human-centered design -- is just as important as what they do. I need to write that post, but you will see that, when I do, I will emphasize that explaining to people WHY you as a boss do things is an an important part of HOW you do things... but your point is a little different and I think crucial. Thanks again.

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Kevin Kane 3 months ago in reply to Bob Sutton

Bob, I speak for the mob when I say that we're anxiously awaiting the next article in this series. Stellar work! Your writing is exemplary for combining the empirical evidence needed to credibly support your assertions, along with colorful anecdotes that entertainingly illustrate your message.

I shared some tips that I believe successful writers like you have mastered at
http://www.kevinkane.com/2010/.../

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Jo Ayoubi 4 months ago

Self-awareness has got to be the starting point for anyone in a 'boss' position. As a leader, even if it's only leading one other person, you are constantly broadcasting messages about what to do and how to do it. If you don't understand how those messages are coming across, you are doing yourself and your people a huge disservice.

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Bob Sutton 4 months ago in reply to Jo Ayoubi

Jo,

I second the thought! The tough part is that there is so much evidence that we humans often have such dim self-awareness, and the more power we wield over others, the worse it gets. Being a self-aware boss is easier to say than to do.

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Ebox01 5 months ago

Bob - you are a breath of fresh air in this world of business. It's almost as if we could have fun - all of us - if we opened our hearts to this kind of existance. Thanks!

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Annan Sohail 5 months ago

agreed with Carmilla "I believe honesty, clear communication, vulnerability, clear boundaries & an intent of the best in every dealing will certainly help any boss along to get the best out of their team.
"

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Emre8877 5 months ago

As leaders we are evaluated by subordinates and viewed somewhat on the basis of our confidence and empathy for others. One of the areas I like to focus on is their mental and emotional states as it relates to hope and worry when some action is required. I remind them that hope is like saying, "Wouldn't it be nice if ......?" while worry is "Wouldn't it be awful if .....?". It is always more productive to focus on solutions than problems and I find it is more joyful to be around hopeful people than the worriers.

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Bob Sutton 5 months ago in reply to Emre8877

Emre,

Great points. The power of framing things as positive and in terms of constructive action is at the very heart of a small wins strategy, which I dig into on point 2. I love the "nice" versus "awful" framing.

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Annan Sohail 5 months ago

great leaders never develop great followers, infact, develop great leaders and that is all about great boss. in my 10 years of experience as HR person, have worked in Telecom,IT,FMCG and NGO Sector, interacted with many bossess and worked with many bosses, it was hard to find a great leader.

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Baltazar Acevedo 5 months ago

I believe that first of all there is no such thing as a boss. To me it implies that I am superior to you, my subordinate, because I am higher on the organizational chart. In times of crisis, such as now with the economy, it is becomes obvious that organizations that are led by individuals who are constantly immersed in the middle of the action, with their sleeves rolled up and always on the prowl to listen and engage workers as equals with talents and assets to share are going to get moving faster than those led by "bosses" who may or may not be the brightest ones in the room. My perspectives and biases are grounded in my experiences as a farm worker during the 1960's when bosses were viewed as overseers who saw us as nothing more than hired muscle. As a professor of Research and Leadership I now sense that students and the tech savvy workforces do not want to be Bossed around but rather led by someone who is invested in the middle of the melee.

Baltazar Arispe y Acevedo, Jr

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ShirtsGoneWild 6 months ago

A Boss or a Capo, as we are called, are open to any ideas that have open end and impartial factors. A true wise man, will be accepting to his or hers, employees sentiments, since great companies have moved on to be conglomerates, thanks to the innovative ideas brought forth. Now it's the executive management turn to give back to the employees. Profit sharing is a start.

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Todd Curry 6 months ago

Though pithy, the statement "Bad is stronger than good" is arguable, prima facie.

I would suggest "Bad multiplies; good adds," which seems to summarize my feelings and those listed by others:
- one bad customer experience can be devastating; it takes many good customer experiences to add up to great customer experiences
- one bad financial or strategic decision can be catastrophic; one must add many small wins together to succeed
- bad behavior is indeed a cancer that spreads through organizations, often multiplied by followers of bad bosses; good behavior takes longer to inculcate

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Bob Sutton 6 months ago in reply to Todd Curry

Todd. Good points. Please wait for my longer post and see what you think. The argument is evidence based and basically is that eliminating the negative packs more wallop at least in interpersonal relationships than accetuating the positive. Bad people and bad emotions pack more wallop than good ones. Thanks. Bob

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I/OMarketer 6 months ago

I love this thread, and thank you for the wonderful insights into being a good boss. I have recently taken on a team of my own within a small company and this is my first time having people who directly report to me. What a challenge! Being in a small company (less than 10 in our office) with a huge market share in our vertical, presents an incredible amount of obstacles both internally and externally. One thing I particularly struggle with internally is being viewed as a friend rather than a boss. I try to cultivate and motivate my employees through brainstorming sessions and feedback sessions, however, because of my encouraging nature, I find it difficult to draw the friend/boss line for them when issues arise. I think another key that bosses should live by is: I will maintain sanity in less than ideal situations with my employees. Furthermore, I will evaluate my responses to these situations thoroughly (24 hours if need be) before making myself look like an ass or saying something in haste because I have held it in for so long. Food for thought from a newbie :)

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hltran 6 months ago

While what Robert says here is very helpful, I have to say that eliminating the bad should come after developing the employees. As, it is easy to detect things that aren't working. But, the true work lies in "fixing" the issue, which start with the employees. Sometimes, when an employee is shown concern by management over what he/she is going through, the "problem" may correct itself. Because this increases trust, it may also increase loyalty, and as a result improve processes. In this way, excellent bosses groom better employees.

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Saduddin shajjan 6 months ago

I really learned a lot from all of you.
thanks for all the wonderful comments.

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Guy Farmer 6 months ago

Great ideas Robert. I'd be interested to see if excellent listening skills and praise enter into the equation. I've found that people who help build others up tend to create a more motivated workforce. We could say that good bosses believe in helping employees use their talents and abilities. Also, good bosses believe in listening to their employees without interruption or need to direct the conversation. I think excellent leaders also believe that success isn't about them, it's about their people. With respect to #10, I think leaders that focus on the bad exclusively may forget to create a strengths based workplace or be too busy putting out fires to help people grow.

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Bob Sutton 6 months ago in reply to Guy Farmer

Guy,

I think listening skills are huge. It is suggested above in :fight as if you are right, listen as if you are wrong," but that is the tip of the iceberg. The best bosses really listen, they don't just pretend. They ask questions because they want to listen to the answers, not because they want to pretend that they care about what others think.

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RPS 6 months ago

Great dozen! I particularly like your book ends. Numbers 1 and 12 speak to a boss who demonstrates humility. Showing humility and vulnerability builds trust. An arrogant boss is always a bad boss. The best bosses give credit to others for wins and take responsibility for losses.

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Natalie Rudow 6 months ago

There are so many good ideas and I have just one thought to add.
Empathy, you must have empathy for employees, peers, bosses, customers and other relationships. This is one of my guiding principals that helps me understand people and their drivers. In return I am better suited to support different/new ideas for innovation, problem solving and personal needs.
I'm not sure if this would help anyone else but it works well for me.

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Tigran 6 months ago

Article is very interesting and teaching. Thank you. At the same time I think that every great leader have to strive for perfection in the assigned area in terms of technical and systems knowledge and be able to apply possessed knowledge in a best possible way.

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K Brahma 6 months ago

Dear Bob / Tara
A few thoughts besides your comprehensive list :
1) Growth of my subordinates is also my responsibility - I should be able to mentor them to take over my position.
2) I need to honestly transmit the directives of the top management to my subordinates to which I am privy but the others may not be.
3) A department / group/ team is as good or as bad as portrayed / presented by the head - It is therefore to my responsibility to project the correct picture of the department / group/ team to the management.
Would love to hear your comments on my points

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Larry Baxter 6 months ago

Interesting article, thanks for sharing those thoughts on important beliefs prevalent among great bosses. I must say, they are a *very* different list from what I would see as describing an excellent boss. (It's possible we have in mind very different work environments in which these bosses are working?) The need to listen and to show humility is one I would call very important. But on my list I would also have to include things like: cares about the people he supervises as individuals, places great priority on developing and supporting them, likes to set very clear expectations and give immediate feedback with respect, ask what I think on decisions that affect me, and make sure that the work we do aligns very clearly with the mission of the organization and provides clear value to others.

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Peter Blokland 6 months ago

I agree with your 12 things good bosses believe and I think there are many more believes to add to them. I have studied leadership a bit over the past 30 years and came to the following 10 commandments of leadership. Or rules to be a good boss. Maybe you'll find something to add to your list.

1. Know your mission, know your goal(s)
2. Develop a clear vision on how to reach your goals, how you will fulfil your mission
3. Communicate your vision in a clear and easy to understand way towards yourself, your collaborators and other people surrounding you.
4. Actively listen to yourself, your collaborators and other people surrounding you
5. DECIDE! Immediately if necessary, after consultation if possible
6. Behold integrity and take up your responsibility! Walk your talk! Be honest and just towards yourself, your collaborators and other people surrounding you
7. Be respectful towards yourself, your collaborators and other people surrounding you
8. Be flexible! The most flexible system is the best performing one!
9. Be empathic. Don’t deny your own feelings and have sympathy for your collaborators and other people surrounding you
10. Have compassion and understanding for yourself your collaborators and other people surrounding you.

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Mohammad Waheed 6 months ago

Great post, thank you so much. I am not going to explain the behavior of bad bosses as many of bad bosses have many things common. However, one of my ex boss was Don Buskard and he was master of making you comfortable in any situation, especially when you make a mistake, he wouldn't criticize you. It was easy to approach to him, and we as employees shared ideas with him so we do not make mistake. I have not seen many bosses like him.

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Douglas Chalmers 6 months ago

This is utter garbage, uhh. It is no more than a system to conceal incompetence + mediocrity in management.

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Robin Donovan 6 months ago

Usually when the deliverable does not meet my requirements I have contributed by not being crystal clear in my expectations.

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Ullas 6 months ago

Fantastic piece! Most people managers are deluded into thinking that their job is to 'get work done'. My experience tells me that nothing helps pep up an employee more than a manager who is willing to spend time with them and provide at least some high-level guidance. It is not just about instructing people but working with people.

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Julian Keniry 7 months ago

Dear Adam,

Thank you for offering these insights. This post, and the responses, are lively, insightful and surprising.

They apply as well to the non-profit world as to business. In our case, we are working to bring about a new, clean energy future and protect wildlife for our children's future in the face of a massive oil spill in the Gulf, denial of climate science, and a growing trend of children spending most of their time indoors.

Finding that balance of happiness and hopefulness, removing the negative, worrying about the right issues and details, resisting the urge to try to compete for recognition, respecting and elevating the staff, being self-aware and getting out of the way of good ideas, while empowering and funding innovation, seem all the more important when the stakes are so high. I look forward to the posts on the next 11 points.

-Jules

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Faris Salama 7 months ago

Couple of thing remain in my mind as good boss
Manage your self befor managing people
Be role model for your direct reporter

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Sandra Benoit 7 months ago

Really thought-provoking article.

One of the other thoughts that struck me over the years is from Peter Senge. What leaders pay attention to matters. I have found that so many poor leaders and managers say, "but I said that I wanted things done this way." Because they then didn't pay attention to how things were done, people followed the path of least resistance. On a positive note, when I wanted my team to start working more strategically, I started paying attention and rewarding comments that demonstrated strategic thinking. Interestingly, a year later all my employees had read the new corporate strategic document before I asked them (and before I had a chance to read them). There is a lot of power in what you pay attention to, so be careful.

Like several others, I struggle a little with #10. I guess the struggle is with what does it mean to eliminate the bad. I agree that one bad employee can really sour the workplace, but I think it is also important to understand why they are a "bad" employee. Are they in the wrong job? Has no one managed their behaviour in the past? I would like to link this more closely with #3. Here is my story:

I had an employe who was considered a "bad" employee, to the point where other employees and managers refused to meet with her. My ultimate objective was that she worked well in a team environment (essential in her position), but I didn't wait to reward her behaviour for perfection. My focus on her small wins kept her motivated. I rewarded her for progress, then set a new target. She will probably never be the best team player, but she improved to the point required by her job. In the end, the bad was eliminated, but I took time to do it.

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Paul Smith 7 months ago

Bob-I would like to add #13: Sometimes the best way to control situations is to give up control over it and just yield.
My explanation behind this is too large for a comment space. The reasoning can be found on my blog, Welcome To The Occupation, in an article entitled, The Great Control Trick.
Thanks for 1 to 12. They are great food for thought.

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Alberto 7 months ago

I really think that your post captures many ideas on this tricky and complex issue: indeed, the complexity of the question asks for a direct and compact communication for all the people understanding. I would like to contribute with a suggestion on its communication.

You perphaps will capture better the attention of the readers and improve their understanding by sorting your points somehow. I am sending you my suggestion below. My congratulations and encouragement for your task.

Regarding the selfmanagement of the leader: Points: 1, 7, 12.
Regarding his team management: Points: 4, 6, 8
The execution and goal pursuing: "How centric" Points: 2 and 3, 9, 10, 11.
Outsite people and powers: Point 5

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Robert Davis 7 months ago

This is an excellent list but I would add an item around the idea of "purpose" in the workplace. A good manager needs to understand the overall purpose of their team within the organization and effectively communicate the purpose to employees so that the team's work is focused on the most important goals. It is possible for employees to do a great job focused on the wrong goals and a happy group would result but they might not contribute anything to the overall organization. This goes along with the idea that a good boss helps their employees advance; guiding employees to focus on the goals that are important to the organization can help them succeed in title, promotion, salary, recognition, etc. It also connects with motivation as employees are much easier to motivate when individual and team goals are aligned with overall goals.

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Paul 7 months ago

Thanks Bob!! That was a great article. I would like add a couple of things about Bad bosses based on my experience. Some bosses wouldn't trust their team and try to do the entire work by themselves event though the team is completely capable of handling that work. If the boss trusts the team and coach, lead them to do the work, it would build the team's confidence and gain respect for him.

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Dan 7 months ago

Thanks for this, Bob, especially Point #1. To really understand this point in our hearts and souls, I believe, will take us a long ways and probably will help us touch on all the rest of the points, as well.

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Joe T 7 months ago

Wow, this is crazy. I've felt this way so many times as president of my fraternity but just didn't know how to describe how I run things to new members. This is perfect.


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Bernie Walko 7 months ago

Fundamentally sound advice. I agree with all, practice many and wish I could articulate as well as Mr. Sutton.

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago in reply to Bernie Walko

Bernie,

It is easier to talk about being a good boss than to do it! And doing it is what really matters

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William J Reynolds 7 months ago

Excellent! I might move #5 further up the list, and perhaps add something about giving employees loyalty as opposed to merely expecting it from them. Thanks for a well-considered article!

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Mary_Pat_Whaley 7 months ago

I interpret #5 as my effort to make it safe in the organization (at least the part I manage) to make mistakes and to be human. The tricky part is walking the line between making it so safe that people feel that mistakes don't matter, and making it safe enough to stand the pressure of healthcare every single day. I tell the staff that my job is to free them to do their job.

I enjoyed this very much.

Thanks, Bob.

Mary Pat

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago in reply to Mary_Pat_Whaley

Mary Pat,

A great comment, and it turns out that some of the best research here is in health care, that when there is a climate of fear, the same mistakes are made over and over because people are afraid to admit it and teach others how to avoid the mistakes they have made. But none of us wants to be the person who is victim of the mistake.

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Chris Young 7 months ago

Awesome post Bob! I've included it in my Rainmaker top five blog picks of the week (http://www.maximizepossibility...) to share this wonderful example of how a great boss should think.

Be well!

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago in reply to Chris Young

Chris,

Thanks! I appreciate it.

Bob

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Chris Oestereich 7 months ago

Bob,
These 12 Things are launching points for valuable introspection, and as such are going up on the wall of my office. Thank you for sharing these thought provoking ideas. Those of us who are up the challenge are sure to find fodder for personal growth. Those who give themselves an easy pass on all points are certainly oblivious to their own failings.
-Chris Oestereich

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago in reply to Chris Oestereich

Chris,

This is really an interesting comment. I just came back from talking about bosses with a group of CEOs and two of them made a very strong argument that they wished that business schools and companies would teach and support introspection more strongly.

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stilltimeforabetterone 7 months ago

The best boss I ever had, early in my career, employed what he referred to as the "Davy Crockett" rule: "Be sure you're right, then go ahead". Working by that rule, I felt trusted and empowered to take appropriate risks to achieve goals, knowing that he would support my decisions or at the very least, the process behind them.

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wfjbin 7 months ago

guys, i think the philosophy is about how employers, as human being, modify their behavior and mindset for the benefit of people around him and also himself. After all, he should know that he is in the same boat with his staff. A bad boss is not absolute; under the skin, we are the same except that some part of us is calling out for humanity and has ourselves start to care about others. Anyway, the world won'st stop because there are bad bosses of half of the population.

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Tom Sebastian 7 months ago

Hi Jeff and Tara,

Very interesting interpretations on #10. On the contrary i feel do agree with Robert when saying "Bad is stronger than good" and the reason for this is that doing something bad always sticks out like a sore in they eye or is something that causes biases against a person or organisation.
Its the ability of 'bad' to stick onto mindsets is what makes it such a formidable mercinary that you need to have to acknowedge that it is stronger. Doing a million things right can be nullified with one wrong doing!

Looking forward to your thoughts on this,

Cheers,
Tom

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Joseph Ludford 7 months ago

I want to complement you on taking an evidence-based approach. Too many writers on the subject of leadership and management seem to be giving us anecdotal evidence and opinion rather than fact. Before I saw this I only knew about Kouzes and Posner and Warren Bennis who have based their work on research over a long period of time. I'm looking forward to reading more of your work.

I had a negative feeling as I read through the 12 things good bosses believe. I think its because the bosses you are talking about are managers, and I've been studying executive level leadership. My mind is full of concepts such as vision, alignment and transformational change, and the positive behaviors needed to implement those concepts. I think values and beliefs both determine effectiveness of managers and leaders and I look forward to your writing on the subject.


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Doru Stancu 7 months ago in reply to Joseph Ludford

I studied exec level leadership as well, but I still believe the 12 rules posted by Robert Sutton really are at the core of great leadership. They may not be complete, but they talk about most of the matters a leader (at managerial or executive level) has to deal with. The fact they are based on true stats & facts hints towards a distillation process. Also, the wording is important, one needs to read these statements carefully, to get their real meaning - at least those who got the right stuff to become great leaders will get the message... :)
Thanks Robert.

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Adil 7 months ago

Top ten ponits showing excellent ideas. management is really becoming pretty mathematical and scientific. The top bosses will need to have a very special brain to cope with the upcoming challenges-they will have to be the fittest to survive and more than that if they wanna conquer. Isnt it?

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Paul Andrew 7 months ago

This is a great and well written article... what is clear is that BALANCE is a key responsibility of the leader

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Marc Ventresca 7 months ago

Bob, all:
This is a powerful set of 12, with additional wisdom from other colleagues. The precepts you identify speak directly to how a 'boss' recognizes her/his role and puts this recognition into practice. But the boss here is in a bit of an under-specified space. How does the boss' own situation, resources, local 'rules of the game' impact the boss' ability to stay true to these practices?
With appreciation, Marc V.

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John L Painter 7 months ago

I'm surprised at the amount of questions around item #10, which seems to me quite obvious. As the director in a community mental health agency in Maine, I am constantly trying to clear ground for my staff. They are confronted by any number of obstacles; client deaths, fiscal uncertainty, interpersonal conflicts (though within the team it's very rare, it does happen within the larger agency and of course in the larger community), changes in public policy, etc, etc.

What I find most exciting to think about, and hard to practice is item #4. I really never know when I'm doing this correctly other than to gauge whether my staff stay on or leave in droves, which I take as some measure of whether they feel there's a balance, obviously there's more to it but this is one aspect I can gauge from. There is a concept in what's presented that I disagree with, since I don't think it's reasonable to be painted into the either/or game; you're assertive or you're passive, or for that matter truly being in the middle. Rather what I think goes on, much like a switch in a circuit, you're rapidly going between passive and assertive maybe that's a type of balance but balance isn't what it's about. It's about right or wrong as an approach in each circumstance, or maybe a better way to describe it the shaping of what's reality and what isn't. I like #4 there's a lot going on in that one.

Brilliant work, I can't wait to read more!

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Alvin Ong 7 months ago

One thing i want to add to be a good boss is an example of being a good leader. Having to know what they needs, caring for them, showing them how importamt they are in the company, and showing them that what you say is sincere and understanding what they are doing. Most employees doesn't believe a boss if they're always talk and doesn't have an understanding what they are doing. The best boss is having to gain their employees trust, caring and understanding them, and knowing that they're there for them. In the end, we are all the same people regardless of race and color.

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Ronn Kolbash 7 months ago

Having been an avid reader of Work Matters (Bob's blog), I strongly concur with #10. Bad is stronger than good. I wish it were not true, but as I am confident the evidence will show that it is. A good/healthy boss or work environment does not have the same impact across various levels (personal health - your own as well as friends/family you interact with, personal/professional development, job satisfaction, etc) as does a bad/negative environment.


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Moti Karmona 7 months ago

Very insightful - Thanks!
IMHO #1, #4, #5, #6, #7, #11 and #12 really touched the heart of leadership.

-- Moti

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Matt Nelson 7 months ago

This is great work and very helpful. I'd like to add a #13 which is similar to what Judy wrote above.

#13 - I don't have to convey that I am better than my employees at what they do. Realize that if I hired my team correctly there will be levels of expertise that is unique to each individual and I shouldn't pretend that I know it all.

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John Clevenger 7 months ago

The article overall points out 12 items for which I largely agree and certainly find to be true, with two exceptions: Point #1 : Are you really trying to indicate that a good manager has a flawed and incomplete view? I believe a good manager really needs to regularly assess their 360 degree view and understand well what it is like to work for them. This is very key to assessing your staff and assuring continued long term performance of the organization. 2. While master of the mundane and obvious is certainly important, really, it is deeper than that. A good boss truly helps one think through situations and coach and mentor to train my successor.

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Alistair Cockburn 7 months ago in reply to John Clevenger

John, I think you overlooked the key words at the start of #1: "I have a flawed and incomplete understanding of what it feels like to work for me." is not saying the boss /has/ a flawed and incomplete understanding etc, but "feels like" he or she has such.

That difference is key to me ... bosses who /think/ they know what they're like to work for will make myriad painful mistakes because they're probably wrong. By keeping open the question of what they're like to work for, they're open to new information.


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Bob Sutton 7 months ago

Tara,

Thanks for your comment. But please wait for my post in a couple weeks on Bad is Stronger Than Good. I wish it wasn't true, but as you will see from some very rigorous research, the best bosses can have a lot bigger impact by eliminating the negative than accentuating the positive. I am all for positive thinking and emotion, but I am making an evidence-based argument here, as you will see. Thanks again.

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Barry Schnur 7 months ago

I like Rule 10 as stated, and believe you are making this too relational.

People leave 'bad' environments all the time that, on balance, offer all sorts of amazing benefits. Think, for example, of a sexually harrassing boss in an otherwise top rated organization. That single characteristic will certainly negate all other positives initiatives. The bad can be overridingly toxic.

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Jeff 7 months ago

Great food for thought Robert. Thanks for sharing. I like that these beliefs focused on the relational aspects of leadership (rather than the technical). I love Number 8. It's easy to talk the "we allow mistakes" talk, and quite another thing to walk it.

One question though. Are you sure about Number 10? It flies directly in the face of Appreciative Inquiry theorists. I wonder if there's more grey area in there than you've allowed.

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Tara Rodden Robinson 7 months ago in reply to Jeff

Hi Jeff,

Great point about #10. I don't accept that bad is stronger than good. It does seem that bad (or doing "bad") can be easier, however, than taking the high road and doing/being good. This ease can make it seem as if bad is stronger when, in fact, bad is just lazy.

Here's my attempt at restatement of #10 in more of an appreciative inquiry vein (with some liberties taken on revising a teensy bit): Good is stronger than bad. It is more important to emphasize the positive than to focus solely on eliminating the negative.

Comments? Thoughts?

Best wishes,
Tara

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adam napell 7 months ago in reply to Tara Rodden Robinson

Tara,

Its funny. When I read #10, I thought the same as you. After re-reading his comment, I think the comment about "bad" is right on. Negatives are like a cancer, and can spread and fester, while positives or "goods" are quite often taken for granted. Positives always need to be accentuated; it's just that negatives always get accentuated as well. They need to be stamped out as quickly as possible so that the positives can really shine. In our business, one bad customer experience can take on a life of its own, especially with the many ways people are connected today.

Stay positive!

Adam

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Bobbi Kahler 7 months ago in reply to adam napell

Adam,
Great point about the customer experience! There has been a lot of interesting research about emotional contagion and one thing that is clear is that negative emotions are very strong and very contagious. They can override positive ones. (As a former student of David Cooperrider’s at Case Western, I have great respect for the power of positivity. So, I don’t like that this is true!) In talking with others about this -- especially managers -- it seems that most people have experiences that demonstrate the power of negative emotions. We've probably all been in a meeting where the mood was upbeat and then a higher-ranking manager entered the room in a foul mood. It doesn't take long for that foul mood to permeate the meeting. For managers to be truly effective and develop their team, they have to be aware of how they might be getting in the way of performance.

Bobbi

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adam napell 7 months ago in reply to Bobbi Kahler

Thanks, Bobbi. We've all had the experience you mentioned. I like the part about "getting out of the way" of your people. I need to be more aware of my behavior and effect it has on my people.

Just out of curiosity, what business are you in?

Adam

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Bobbi Kahler 7 months ago in reply to adam napell

Hi Adam,
It's rather sad that so many of us can relate to those types of experiences. I respect your comment about being more aware of your behavior and the effect it has on others. I don't want to violate any rules, but to answer your question, I work with managers to help them become great coaches for their team. It's extremely rewarding.
All the best,
Bobbi

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ray leigh 6 months ago in reply to Tara Rodden Robinson

I wrote a while back what to do when your brand hits a crisis and how its a fabulous time to get things done. That was your brand now something for leaders to think about when leading their business through crisis.

Leaders must face reality. Reality starts with the person in charge. Leaders need to look themselves in the mirror and recognize their role in creating the problems. Then they should gather their teams together and gain agreement about the root causes. Widespread recognition of reality is the crucial step before problems can be solved. Attempting to find short-term fixes that address the symptoms of the crisis only ensures the organization will wind up back in the same predicament. In order to understand the real reasons for the crisis, everyone on the leadership team must be willing to tell the whole truth. Leaders can’t solve problems if they don’t acknowledge their existence.

No matter how bad things are, they will get worse. Faced with bad news, many leaders cannot believe that things could really be so grim. Consequently, they try to convince the bearers of bad news that things aren’t so bad, and swift action can make problems go away. This causes leaders to under estimate what is required in terms of corrective actions. Inevitably, they wind up taking a series of steps, none of which is powerful enough to correct the downward spiral. It is far better for leaders to anticipate the worst and get out in front of it. If they restructure their cost base for the worst case, they can get their organisation healthy for the turn around when it comes and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves.

Build a mountain of cash, and take to the high ground. In good times leaders worry more about earnings per share and revenue growth than they do about their balance sheets. In a crisis, cash is king. Forget about earnings-per-share and all those stock market measures. The question is: Do you have sufficient cash to survive the most dire circumstances?

Get the world off your shoulders. In a crisis, many leaders act like Atlas, carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. They go into isolation, and think they can solve the problem themselves. In reality, leaders must have the help of all the people around them, to devise solutions and implement them. This means bringing people into their confidence, asking them for help and ideas, and gaining their commitment to painful corrective actions.

Before asking others to sacrifice, first volunteer yourself. If there are sacrifices to be made – and there will be – then the leaders should step up and make the greatest sacrifices themselves. Everyone is watching to see what the leaders do. Will they stay true to their values? Will they bow to external pressures, or confront the crisis in a straight-forward manner? Will they be seduced by short-term rewards, or will they make near-term sacrifices in order to fix the long-term situation?

I wrote before about attempting to stay cool and not panicking. Now is the time to make use of a good crisis. When things are going well, people resist major changes or try to get by with minor adaptations. A crisis provides the leader with the platform to get things done that were required anyway and offers the sense of urgency to accelerate implementation.

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R1ckBennett 7 months ago in reply to Tara Rodden Robinson

Bad is stronger than good because we have to work on the good everyday just to break even and the bad can wipe it out in an instant.
Good is stronger than bad in that it can hold the bad at bay.
So how to solve this paradox?
My opinion is that all too often we ask "what were you thinking" only after a bad event; a good manager should be checking up, asking "what are you thinking" as she goes. It might be attitiude, it might be training, it might be illness, it might be stress, but somewhere is a developing weak link that might allow bad to worm its way in; your job is to snuff out the small ones so the big ones do not have time to develop. Your points 5 and 8 seem to apply.

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The editors

12 Things Good Bosses Believe

12 Things Good Bosses Believe

9:32 AM Friday May 28, 2010

Bob Sutton
On: Managing people, Managing yourself, Motivation

What makes a boss great? It's a question I've been researching for a while now. In June 2009, I offered some analysis in HBR on the subject, and more recently I've been hard at work on a book called Good Boss, Bad Boss (published in September by Business Plus).

In both cases, my approach has been to be as evidence-based as possible. That is, I avoid giving any advice that isn't rooted in real proof of efficacy; I want to pass along the techniques and behaviors that are grounded in sound research. It seems to me that, by adopting the habits of good bosses and shunning the sins of bad bosses, anyone can do a better job overseeing the work of others.

At the same time, I've come to conclude that all the technique and behavior coaching in the world won't make a boss great if that boss doesn't also have a certain mindset.
My readings of peer-reviewed studies, plus my more idiosyncratic experience studying and consulting to managers in many settings, have led me identify some key beliefs that are held by the best bosses — and rejected, or more often simply never even thought about, by the worst bosses. Here they are, presented as a neat dozen:
I have a flawed and incomplete understanding of what it feels like to work for me.
My success — and that of my people — depends largely on being the master of obvious and mundane things, not on magical, obscure, or breakthrough ideas or methods.
Having ambitious and well-defined goals is important, but it is useless to think about them much. My job is to focus on the small wins that enable my people to make a little progress every day.
One of the most important, and most difficult, parts of my job is to strike the delicate balance between being too assertive and not assertive enough.
My job is to serve as a human shield, to protect my people from external intrusions, distractions, and idiocy of every stripe — and to avoid imposing my own idiocy on them as well.
I strive to be confident enough to convince people that I am in charge, but humble enough to realize that I am often going to be wrong.
I aim to fight as if I am right, and listen as if I am wrong — and to teach my people to do the same thing.
One of the best tests of my leadership — and my organization — is "what happens after people make a mistake?"
Innovation is crucial to every team and organization. So my job is to encourage my people to generate and test all kinds of new ideas. But it is also my job to help them kill off all the bad ideas we generate, and most of the good ideas, too.
Bad is stronger than good. It is more important to eliminate the negative than to accentuate the positive.
How I do things is as important as what I do.
Because I wield power over others, I am at great risk of acting like an insensitive jerk — and not realizing it.

What do you say: does that about cover it? If not, tell me what I missed. Or if you're not quite sure what I mean in these brief statements, stay tuned. Over the coming weeks, I'll be digging into each one of them in more depth, touching on the research evidence and illustrating with examples.

If you're like most people I meet, you've had your share of bad bosses — and probably at least one good one. What were the attitudes the good one held? And what great, workplace-transforming beliefs could your worst boss never quite embrace?


Robert Sutton is Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University. He studies and writes about management, innovation, and the nitty-gritty of organizational life. His new book is Good Boss, Bad Boss.


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Shankar Raman 7 months ago

Bob,

Thanks. This is terrific.

I like Tara's reformulation. I have two additional rules that I try to follow: I will put people in positions where their strengths are used to the best effect and will not put them in roles where their strengths are not used.

Additionally, I am accountable and responsible for the success and failure of my people. If some one in my team screws up it's because, more often than not, they were not set up adequately for success.

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Tara Rodden Robinson 7 months ago in reply to Shankar Raman

Hi Shankar,

Thanks for the kind feedback and kudos for the additions. Well done!

Thanks,
Tara

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hezi Lapid 7 months ago in reply to Tara Rodden Robinson

I would add: Keep your ears and mind "open" to your people

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Silas 6 months ago in reply to hezi Lapid

I would add the very popular one (in DK anyway): Even though I'm the boss, I too can be replaced, and on that note I'm equal to my employees and should act accordingly.

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Tathagat Varma 7 months ago

Bob,

This is super stuff. I treat this as human-centric leadership - this leadership is really all about being one of the regular guys and not someone who was hand-crafted by the angels (or the elite campuses) as someone special! This takes away the notion of a Superman / Demigod leader and establishes a leader who is as fallible as his/her followers, is vlunerable, is not a perfect ten, and so on.

If I were to just add one more thing to make it a Baker's Dozen, that would be developing the followers - the best bosses I have seen and worked with were the ones who generously gave away their territory to their not-yet-quite-so-ready followers and without feeling intimidated or uncomfortable about loss of their own 'position' or 'power'. I think the good bosses manage businesses very well, the very good bosses lead followers very well, but the excellent ones grow leaders better then themselves, often at the cost of making themselves redundant.

regards,
Tathagat
(Edited by author 7 months ago)



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Mmartinak 6 months ago in reply to Tathagat Varma

The part about followers is wonderful. You have to be generous enough to help your followers to the leadership role, even if that means they leave to go to a better job elsewhere.

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Reader 6 months ago

When I was working at IBM I pleaded for evidence-based evaluations through all the channels available to me as an employee. One manager told me "You won't get examples" when I asked for examples regarding my performance. Other colleagues were also stunned, if not mentally shocked by their evaluations, by both written and verbal comments. A few colleagues brought there evaluations to me and I was stunned too by how they were being evaluated. The managers appeared to be extremely insecure and lacked the emotional intelligence required to even consider the 12 things good bosses believe. Sadly, the company culture is based on severe intimidation and disrespect and promotes competition amongst it's employees. Myself and a number of other colleagues had to get treated for trauma and left the company. I would like to see workplace bullying or workplace abuse become a health hazard that companies by law have to warn their employees about. Unfortunately, HR is a watch dog for the company regarding labor laws and human rights. HR only ensures that the company is not sued and is completely indifferent to the "human resources" as human beings. Big changes are needed in these types of people abusing corporations.

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Christine 6 months ago in reply to Reader

Many years ago, I remember telling a boss I worked with, that he should not confuse hatred and fear for respect. Meaning that his management style earned him hatred from his employees and the first chance they would get, they would jump ship and watch him drown alone.
I would agree that companies have a responsibility to ensure that bullying and abuse is not tolerated. I also agree that HR has a responsibility to enforce the company's respectful workplace policy. If your organization has a clear policy, it must include training, education and awareness. It should also include consequences. As an HR representative and a Training and Development Specialist, I encourage all employees to say it if they see it. I believe that if you allow your team the courage to address issues, challenge inefficiencies or inequalities, and confront any behaviour that goes against the organization’s values, you will have a solid and healthy organization. In my experience, Bosses, who encourage this, are rewarded with dedicated teams who will not let him/her drown alone.

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Brivera215 6 months ago in reply to Christine

I so agree with you. At my last two jobs I would have abandoned ship because my boss saw nothing further than the sight of his nose. HR was oblivious to the abuse and the harassing environment the workers were put through everyday. My co-workers like to intimate their subordinates and it was of no consequence to them. Unfortunately, turn-over was constant but not in the right places. I now have a great boss, and she is smart, respectful, doesn't micro-manage and has a great team. I would never want her to get in trouble by her boss due to our lack of diligence. I would not let her drown alone. We should all be able to work in an environment as I do now. If we follow these steps in not just our work place but in everyday challenges we to will have much success. Thank you for your reply.

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UK 6 months ago in reply to Reader

This is so relevant to my scenario. I worked for LG. My Manager never gave my Performance Review and when I asked him for it. He said you were not at your desk. What a sign of an excellent Manager? There are only 45 engineers in all and every year 20 of them leave to find best opportunities. HR doesn't care about losing valuable employees and VP cares less. In all, I am happy I left this place. I worked hard, spent so many nights at my workplace in part screwing my personal relationships and on top of it, a Manager who gained his spot solely because he wouldn't confront VP (Because of Culture - you come to Land of Opportunities but can't leave forbidden culture behind - Excellente). What a wonderful match made in Management Matrimony.

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shirley dockerill 6 months ago in reply to Reader

and what happens when it's the bullies who inhabit HR?

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joanie 7 months ago

Great insight! I really like what you've said here and I may have missed what I'm going to say in the follow-up, but I don't see anything about expectations. A wonderful global HR director once told me...people need 3 things...To know what's expected. To know how they are doing in terms of those expectations and to know how you(as their boss) are going to help them get there.
Seems to me, a good boss would have to buy into this.

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Ashok Kumar J. 7 months ago

Hi Robert,

All the 12 points were terrific. I believe the 13th should showing Love to the employees.... haha! you can stop laughing now, I ain't kidding. Sit and talk with the employee and make them feel special and make them feel like its their own firm at the same time have control over them. Engage them at the work place. This works for me!

Thanks.

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Judy Nelson, JD, MSW, CPC 7 months ago

The high number of responses to this post is an indicator of how important your words are. In fact, looking back on 30 years as a CEO, my own cluelessness about how I came across was the biggest barrier to greater effectiveness. Now, how can we help upcoming leaders figure this out early in their careers rather than at the end?

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Demetrius Nunes 6 months ago

I only disagree with number 10. Sometimes, focusing on what's right (ie. doing more of it) is as or more important than trying to fix what's wrong.

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Christian Maurer 5 months ago in reply to Demetrius Nunes

I support your view. Gallup has extensively researched the benefits of building on strengths rather than eliminate weaknesses.

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Geri Stengel 7 months ago

Your 12 attributes of leadership are a valuable contribution because they emphasis two dimensions of leadership that is sometimes overlooked: Daily behavior and treatment of employees. Every good leader stands on the shoulders of good employees.

Happily, our beliefs are supported by new research that showed even employees on the bottom-rung of the ladder can improve profitability if treated well.

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penyart 7 months ago

I think the optimism of the boss, and not just towards the job and career, but towards the people and life in general, lead to a team that outperforms others. With an optimistic approach the other 12 points occur without them seeming overbearing.

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Orangeball 6 months ago

How about: Good bosses (aka leaders) ask lots of questions. Bad bosses (aka managers) make lots of statements.

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Charlie Derr 7 months ago

Maybe it's just me but I find the tone of many of these a bit obnoxious. The content is good, but the constant use of the "possessive" form is really grating to me. Wouldn't we all rather work for someone who doesn't convey ownership when speaking about us?

To be explicit I'm referring to phrases such as "my team" or "my people". I think creative humans deserve more autonomy than that.
thanks for listening,
~c

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Monica 4 months ago in reply to Charlie Derr

I see it as rather a matter of affiliation than ownership of the team. People in my team refer to my team as "my team" just as well.

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Bryan 7 months ago

A very interesting article, and discussion to follow.

I cannot help but think that rule number 1 for me is to show my people sufficient respect that they know that I will correct them if they are doing something wrong, for otherwise they can never have confidence that they are doing anything right.

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago in reply to Bryan

Bryan,

I think this is a key point, and consistent with evidence that the best bosses and workgroups and subordinates do not let mistakes slide. Their is constant error identification, correction, and learning in an atmosphere of trust -- Amy Edmondson's research shows this for example. Thanks, Bob

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Nathan 1 month ago in reply to Bob Sutton

Bob,

"There...", A bit anal retentive I accept, but extremely pertinent to your comment.

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Peter 1 month ago in reply to Bob Sutton

And as long as they recognise the good work and regularly praise this. This will realy boost confidence.

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Luis Eduardo Dejo 7 months ago

What about life-work balance? Is there anything there in good bosses?

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Elizabeth Chee 7 months ago

Great article! I couldn't help chuckle over #5. Two more to think about would be an article that I have read in the NY Times, "The secret to happy employees", some time back which I thought was really true.
1. Bad Management can make good employees dysfunctional while Good Management may not always make a dysfunctional employee good.
Something more pragmatic below:
2. To keep employees happy - Continue to treat the happy ones well and let the unhappy ones go. (This one reinforces #10 :) )

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago

I want to thank everyone for the very thoughtful comments, but I especially and struck by Marc and Richard. Marc wanted more specificity about the context and Richard wrote commented how hard it was to do all this stuff. Those are both excellent comments, and to me, get at two elements of leadership that I did not explore here, but are important to emphasize. Both stem from my belief that management is a craft that -- although it can be practiced better by people who know the evidence -- can only be learned through experience and a process of trial and error. And just because you can practice the craft well in one place does not mean you can practice it well in another, as there is organizational specific knowledge to learn. To me, this means that -- although evidence-based guidelines like these can help over the long haul, if anyone tells you that they have magic list that will make you a great boss, they are lying. At the same time, and this is for Marc, if I carefully parsed the conditions under which each of these or any other guidelines should be used more or less, and all the other boundary conditions, it would be so complex that the list would be dull and useless. I also believe that it is generally useless to do so because management requires so much craft knowledge and experience and local knowledge that academics are ill-suited to make such precise pronouncements. I believe the best we can do is to help bosses practice their craft a bit better, to learn from setbacks a bit faster, and suffer a bit less along the way, but I have no magic to offer.

Thanks again for the great comments. I will be explaining these points during the coming couple weeks, which i hope will answer some of the questions raised, and provoke many others as well.

Bob Sutton

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Abhijit Kar 7 months ago

Hi Bob, thanks for sharing these thoughts. Another important point in my opinion is: The art of listening and interpreting the intended message correctly, followed by an appropriate and visible action - whatever the issue is, and however small it may be - once it reaches your ears. Listen, listen and listen....then act decisively, is the sign of a true leader/boss.

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Richard Guha 7 months ago

It strikes me that these excellent findings are incredibly difficult to do. As someone who has both experienced others' failures in this area, and done a fair bit of failing myself (hindsight is always 20:20), the level of self-awareness required is as much as challenge as in relationships in our personal lives. Perhaps each of needs to learn from the mistakes of others and ourselves. I have seen so many people, who experiencing flawed bosses, determined to do better, but when given the opportunity, failed to do so. Sadly, in most cases they thought they were great bosses, even to the extent of publicly self-congratulating themselves. I wish there were a way to hold a mirror up to each of us, other than the ridiculous 360 reviews, which I have seen used to pay off old scores or for political purposes more than for valid feedback. So how do we get managers to learn how to become closer to this ideal?

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Christine 7 months ago

Bad is definitely stronger than good. It only takes one bad experience for a person to choose to leave an organization or a customer to stop buying from one. Inevitably people are more likely to avoid and / or complain about bad service or products than recommend and / or give positive feedback about good ones. There is a lot of different research to support this. I'm interested to see what people think about it when presented.

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garymonti 7 months ago

Robert, This is succinct. In line with this, I've found when hiring people a question worth asking is, "What do you do when you make a mistake?" The conversation around this question reveals the most about myself and the prospective hire and is a good indicator of how we could (or could not) move forward.

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Cathy MacMillan 7 months ago

Having worked for a very cruel boss and now being a boss myself, I think the most important rule is to treat your employees as you would like to be treated as an employee. Let them be in control of their lives in all aspects. It's empowering, respectful, and deserved. After all, your business is built by the sweat of their labour.

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Carmilla5 5 months ago

In all my years of working (30+) I have yet to work with a 'good boss'. Most leaders/managers cannot manage themselves, let alone anyone else. It seems the best managers are actually not managing as part of their job description it comes as part of someone's nature.

As a 'boss' you are not going to keep everyone happy all of the time but I believe honesty, clear communication, vulnerability, clear boundaries & an intent of the best in every dealing will certainly help any boss along to get the best out of their team.

I think it is a fine line but the guy I work for at present is probably about 16 emotionally, is off the planet most of the time worrying about his marriage and not doing very much to help it whilst being no support to his team, oblivious to really the running of the place yet marching out orders continually without any forethought to what he actually wants. I am critical because his ineffectual behaviour is teaching me how to be a better team player and seeing when things don't work then knowing how things might work better.

After asking him for more feedback, appreciation, praise, I have had one thank you in 5 months which was said as a rather sarcastic throw away line. You ask why I stay? Well I have learnt much in this job (PA for a busy surgeon) and will take away much good fodder for my next career after a wonderful 2 month stay in Paris/UK for my 50th birthday in November, so I am not here much longer, thank goodness!

Carmilla x

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Bob Sutton 5 months ago in reply to Carmilla5

Carmilla,

Thanks for the thoughtful comment. In fact, speaking of thanks, as your story imply, it just amazes me how some bosses -- and peers and yes subordinates too -- don't bother to say those little words. One of my favorite management books ever, Up The Organization, by the late Robert Townsend (which was written before blogs existed, but is sort of a series of great blog posts) has an entire page that says only "THANKS. A really neglected form of compensation." In fact, I think I will put this on my blog right now! Bob

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Carmilla5 5 months ago in reply to Bob Sutton

Bob, thanks for your reply. After watching the Undercover Boss last night on telly, it just hammered this thank you issue in even more. Watching big boss from White Castle, acknowledge, give thanks, support & financial backing to many staff who as 'small fry' or a blip on the map was absolutely moving. I imagined myself receiving such praise & support and my heart lifted and I could feel a change in my whole being from just being seen. I am upped with the future of work/life because what I see 'out there' in media of all types is that we are questioning more and more why we work, how we work and who we work for. This has to be good! You are doing this work and I thank you for such groundbreaking service! warmest wishes Bob, Carmilla x

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago

Jeff and Tara,

I am a big fan of appreciative inquiry. But I look forward to talking about this point more as there is a quite strong empirical case that wallop packed by "bad" experiences and such is so much stronger (typically 5 times stronger) that getting rid of the negative should be the first order of business. Also note I am NOT encouraging people to BE BAD rather to get rid of it. Stay tuned, I will do a post on this and the other 12 points. And thanks for your comments.

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OConnorKA 5 months ago in reply to Bob Sutton

Bob - when you write more about getting rid of the negative, I would love to hear more about when to balance it with a focus on the positive. It's depends on the context, it seems to me. In running a social media site inside my organization's firewall, I've been trying to decide whether or not to tackle the negative or highlight the positive. I was told an old "online community maxim" which is - some people are mean, and some people are weird, and they'll take those attitudes with them no matter what technology you're using. The best way to control it is to elevate good content instead of bad..."

Another HBR article in which appreciate inquiry of sorts has been influential to me was "Your Company's Secret Change Agents" from May 2005 that discussed "finding areas of 'positive deviance' and fanning their flames."

It would be helpful to get thoughts on when to focus on accentuating the positive over the negative and when eradication of the negative is key.

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Ruchir 5 months ago

I really like and agree with number 2. Its too easy to focus on the big and the fluffy picture. Don't get me wrong, it is important as the point says. However, in my opinion the big picture only needs to be visited a few times to make sure the team is on track. Talking about the 'magical', the fatastic and the "visionary" breakthroughs always brings in praise and is impossible to disagree with, but it doesnt do much for the business or team. Its the uncelebrated, the mundane and the routine that defines a well run business. A good manager masters and perfects this. The author is spot on with this. Thanks a lot of putting this high up on the list.

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Bob Sutton 5 months ago in reply to Ruchir

Ruchir,

Thanks for the comment. It has struck me that this is sometimes a problem among bosses who love the concept of being leaders, with big bold plans and visions, but treat the managerial work required to turn vision into reality as dirty work that is beneath them, as something that the little people do. And in fact too many leaders paint lovely strategies and big goals but lack the skill required to break it into pieces so it gets done. It is a little harsh, but there is a great saying from Army Corp of Engineers that I have always liked: "Strategy is for amateurs; logistics are professionals," not bad.

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mark allen roberts 7 months ago

Great content I plan to share,

Some of the best leaders were not those in the spotlight, but humble and were constantly seeking new information to make decisions based on current facts not gut and intuition as I discuss in my blog : Your “gut” and “intuition” are not enough…today http://nosmokeandmirrors.wordp.../
.

Mark Allen Roberts

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Annan Sohail 5 months ago in reply to mark allen roberts

agreed as well said by writer of emotional intelligence, year 2003, intuition is not a research based method

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Naveen Goel 4 months ago

Hi Bob,

I just read your article. Great list! I hope I am not too late to post my comments. My thoughts on similar topic are shared ar my newly started blog: http://naveenpgoel.blogspot.co.../.

All feedback, suggestions and related thoughts are welcome!

Regards,
Naveen Goel

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Gayle Watson 7 months ago

I like the list of 12 Things Good Bosses Believe. It affirms our experience establishing values-based leadership at JetBlue and other companies. I think it goes beyond beliefs, to real behaviors. Leaders need to decide what they stand for, then have the discipline to live it every day. How leaders treat people, both employees and customers, is at the heart of the 12 Things Good Bosses Believe. Here is a video I like with Ann Rhoades speaking about leading with values: http://www.peopleink.com/Video....

I'd like to hear more discussion about the evidence of relationship between 12 Things Good Bosses Believe, people-centric corporate cultures, and high performing companies.

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@jyi 7 months ago

Robert, I had to read your intro twice to reorient myself that you were specifically addressing the leader’s MINDSET. My first reading left me feeling like the list was self-absorbed – which I believe is quite the opposite of your intent. Ironically, this may also be one of the key downfalls of managers with good intent to be good bosses. They mentally THINK a certain way – and sincerely believe they are delivering it, but somehow the execution or delivery doesn’t quite match the mindset.

I fully agree a good boss has high “emotional intelligence” and is keenly aware of self and their impact on the team; however, ultimately their teams only know and benefit from the outward actions. The gap between “knowing” and “doing” is often glaringly large. I suppose, my bias for good bosses lean toward those who SHOW me they care and want ME to succeed. In that vein, I offer these additions to your list:

• Realizes that just because one “did it” does not mean they “got it”. Good bosses own the burden of showing/telling it again or in a different way, because they perceive it as their duty to communicate and not “their” problem if they missed it.
• Does not fear one’s own value. Good bosses are continuously working themselves out of a job by identifying and grooming future leaders.
• Humbles oneself so that others may be praised. The good bosses realize that they are curators or facilitators, not the stars.
• Understands that (most) people can’t read minds. Good bosses are clear and consistent.

Thanks for the article, made me think this beautiful Friday morning!
Judy Yi

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brsa 7 months ago

I think regarding #10...it feels better to focus on the positive, but I think that can come across as somewhat Pollyanna. I think Appreciateve Inquiry is "nice" but not necessarily appropriate in all situations. I've certainly been in the room with the AI types, and even with my own preference for optimism or positivity, I'm often left with a bit of a toothache from the vernacular ;)

I'd be interested the the author's evidence leading to #10 vs the feeling side that pushes many to the positive.

I think there's a balance - too much on either side is dangerous.

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Titanium cranium 7 months ago in reply to brsa

I like to explain #10 this way: Think of Michaelangelo carving a statue. What does he do? He focuses all of his effort on removing everything that doesn't look like David. He doesn't spend any time on the "positive" aspects of his work: parts that do look like David. Why should he? His work is all about "eliminating the negative."


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Tara Rodden Robinson 7 months ago in reply to brsa

Hi brsa,

Good point--AI has to be tempered by what Jim Collins referred to as "confronting the brutal facts."

Best wishes,
Tara

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago in reply to Tara Rodden Robinson

Tara and Brsa,

I like your comments on balance. This is one of those things I have been fretting over and reading research on for decades (and I published a few papers of me own early in my career), and at least my reading of the current research is that the most effective people and teams are high in both positive and negative emotion -- and to go beyond these data and to add my experience observing and coaching bosses and teams -- I would say that some of the best bosses are "happy worriers," optimistic about the outcome of what they are doing and pushing people forward with their positive energy, but constantly worrying over he details of what they are trying to accomplish at the moment. This is exactly how I would describe IDEO's rather magical founder, David Kelley.

P.S. In the name of intellectual honesty, however, not all studies support my happy worrier idea. Harvard's Teresa Amabile and others did one of the best longitudinal studies ever done of creative teams, and her research showed that pure positive emotion -- not a mix of positive and negative -- was the hallmark of the best teams. And I would add that even if I think about the Happy Worrier stuff, a ratio of about 80% happy and 20% worry seems about right to me as negative emotions are so powerful and so destructive (see my point "Bad is Stronger Than Good") that a little bit goes a long way. I will be expanding on both these points here, thanks for giving me something to thinka bout.


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Tara Rodden Robinson 7 months ago in reply to Bob Sutton

Hi Bob,

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and respond. You're probably already familiar with the work of Barbara Fredrickson, yes? Her research shows that three positive emotional experiences are needed to balance (or overcome) each negative one. So negative seems a bit heavier, perhaps, than positive. All the more reason to cultivate happiness day in and day out.

Thanks again,
Tara

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Ted L. Simon 7 months ago in reply to Tara Rodden Robinson

I like Tara's point. It's pretty universal. Ask anybody who's coached Little League or youth soccer -- good coaching clinics will tell you "Praise positive performance AT LEAST 3 times for every critical comment." Guess that means if you can motivate a group of 11 and 12 year old kids to perform on a baseball diamond, you may have at least some of what it takes to lead a group of adults.

Cheers,
Ted

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Tara Rodden Robinson 7 months ago

Hi Bob,

Wow, thanks for both the terrific post and the tease for the upcoming book--I'm looking forwarding to reading it! In the meantime, a couple of comments.

Part of what's implied in your beliefs, but perhaps not stated explicitly, is the willingness to allow others to contribute one oneself. It's the ability to encourage trust and create an atmosphere in which people can "speak truth to power" that's key. If leaders/bosses are unwilling to listen to and for things that are hard to hear, then they risk becoming "bad" bosses.

Many best wishes,
Tara

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khaleel 5 months ago

the most essential things for a boss in any organization are AAA
Alive, Alert, Aggressive towards work.effective utilization of these, i.e right word at the right time & place will decide he/ she weather Good or Bad Boss.

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Steve Korn 6 months ago

Very good list. To these I would add half dozen of my own:
1. Compensation is important. Pay people fairly, review compensation on time, and most importantly pay incentives consistently on time—don’t make people wait or guess. Consistency and timeliness are more important than amount.

2. Compliment in public with specifics. Criticize and coach in private

3. Workplace is not a democracy. However, take the time to listen to other points of view, and then decide. People will value being listened to

4. Give people projects that stretch them, and they learn something

5. Use stories to make your point

6. Move negative people out of the organization.

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Elizabeth Garber 6 months ago

My best boss - the only great boss I've ever really had - believed in all of these. There was something else too: she believed in helping her people understand the concepts (including many of these) that would help them win politically and make them more effective in the organisation. In so doing, she became more effective.

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Mike 6 months ago

Excellent list Bob, and great stuff in many of the comments.

Here are two points I'd add, though I'm not sure if the second has wide applicability:

1. I have to understand that being in my company is just one segment of my employees' career. Someday they'll leave. And it's part of my job to help them do so when the time is right. This means helping them with their career development from the day they join the company, and often long after they've left. Having an overly possessive attitude (or alternatively, an apparent uncaring attitude) is as unseemly in a boss as it is in any other relationship.

2. I don't manage my employees' time, and this includes not managing their other projects. Most of my employees have outside projects going on, and I do what I can to help them with those, so long as they don't get in the way of what we're doing. But I find that this helps them trust me more and paradoxically helps them focus on what we're doing more, since they're not having to scuttle around in the dark trying to keep something secret.

Overall, I do my best to treat my employees as adults and professionals. If I wanted serfs I would track their hours, their dress code, their bathroom breaks, etc. What I want is people who work with me to the best of their ability and all our ability, and that means treating them as people who are bought into the same vision (and when they're not, letting them go).

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Lisa Bruckner 7 months ago

Thank you for this very nice article. The only addition I might humbly add from personal experience is:

Offer quality training opportunities, then get out of the way. A good boss isn't a bottleneck.

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago in reply to Lisa Bruckner

I like the advice about knowing when to get out of the way... one my personal blog www.bobsutton.net I have a list of 17 Things I Believe and the first one is "Sometimes the best management is no management at all." Thanks,

Bob

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tsai 6 months ago in reply to Bob Sutton

I think we need to be careful when we say '... get out of the way ...' and '.... no management at all.' 'No management at all' is a form of management; a higher form of management that can be exercised because:
1) your people are knowledgeable, competent, equipped and empowered
2) you and they share the same value system

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Steven Hudson 7 months ago

Number 10 is a killer…the old saying “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch”.

Having the best skills is great but if the person is negative it can destroy a complete team with one negative comment. That’s why I will always employ someone with a positive attitude, even if they have still don’t have the skill levels over some one with Master level skills but down right negative to the bone, particularly if it is a team environment.

Who was it that wrote “Success through a positive attitude”?

Cheers

Steven Hudson

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Jess Flynn 7 months ago

Fantastic post Bob - thanks for the inspiration at the start of the week. This new boss appreciates the perspective. I'd add - never underestimate the power of the personal in business. The phrase ‘it’s just business’ is all well and good, but at the end of the day emotions and personalities run through the veins of every aspect of business. Ignoring that takes the soul out of what you do.

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Monal_bhattad 5 days ago

its a very value addition article with thought provoking blogs. The value can be liquidified only when such these qualities are implemented while practising leadership. But 1 thing I need to add is that implementation of qualities depends on follower to follower, circumstances to circumstances . The best leader is the 1 who understand the circumstance, follower,consequences and acoordingly implement the most suitable quality.
And I thoroughly supposrts the point that leader should always look for their followers growth & well being. It is this quality which leads to the success of the leaders success.

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Bob Sutton 1 week ago

I want to thank HBR readers for making this the most read post of 2010. I am delighted but also slightly troubled because I still have two more points to finish -- it feels like getting an A on an unfinished paper! I will wrap it up in the next few weeks or so, and once again, thanks so much for supporting this post and the ideas in Good Boss, Boss, the book these ideas are drawn from. Here is the story about the top HBR posts of the year:

http://blogs.hbr.org/hbr/hbred...

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RobertoR 3 weeks ago

Great stuff Bob..Thanks

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Mirela (Mgr) 1 month ago

I would add here as well "supporting my people to develop their career towards their own aspirations", even if this means losing that individual from the team at some point. If one of your team members feels that they cannot achieve their goals in your team, or you do not support them, they would go anyway - so rather help them develop, maybe even have them stay with the company and fullfill their dreams here, rather than letting them go for a competitor.

Do you also feel that developing your people is key to your succes as a manager?

http://projectmanager1.blogspo...

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guest 2 months ago

They are not "your people"; Lincoln freed the slaves and what you say reflects how you feel about the people you work with.

If your team has a boss, you do not have a team. You have a 1970s top down management scheme but you are calling it something else to try to be hep; the employees know the difference.

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Lance Equinen 3 months ago

Why doesn't the last two out of the dozen contain hyperlinks?

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Sarah Green 3 months ago in reply to Lance Equinen

Hi Lance,

The series is still in-progress, and the last two posts in the series are yet to be published. Once they're live, we'll make sure to update this post with the hyperlinks.

Thanks for your interest in the series!

All the best,
Sarah Green
HBR Associate Editor

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Christine Korza 1 month ago in reply to Sarah Green

It's been two months since the last article. When is this series going to be finished? I was really liking it...

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Ricardo Costa 4 months ago

This comment was flagged for review.
Bob Sutton 4 months ago in reply to Ricardo Costa

Ricardo, nice suggestions. I spent a couple days at IDEO this week, the renowned design firm, and one of the partners said almost the same thing you are suggesting that, in essence, the reason they do things -- how they treat people and do human-centered design -- is just as important as what they do. I need to write that post, but you will see that, when I do, I will emphasize that explaining to people WHY you as a boss do things is an an important part of HOW you do things... but your point is a little different and I think crucial. Thanks again.

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Kevin Kane 3 months ago in reply to Bob Sutton

Bob, I speak for the mob when I say that we're anxiously awaiting the next article in this series. Stellar work! Your writing is exemplary for combining the empirical evidence needed to credibly support your assertions, along with colorful anecdotes that entertainingly illustrate your message.

I shared some tips that I believe successful writers like you have mastered at
http://www.kevinkane.com/2010/.../

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Jo Ayoubi 4 months ago

Self-awareness has got to be the starting point for anyone in a 'boss' position. As a leader, even if it's only leading one other person, you are constantly broadcasting messages about what to do and how to do it. If you don't understand how those messages are coming across, you are doing yourself and your people a huge disservice.

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Bob Sutton 4 months ago in reply to Jo Ayoubi

Jo,

I second the thought! The tough part is that there is so much evidence that we humans often have such dim self-awareness, and the more power we wield over others, the worse it gets. Being a self-aware boss is easier to say than to do.

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Ebox01 5 months ago

Bob - you are a breath of fresh air in this world of business. It's almost as if we could have fun - all of us - if we opened our hearts to this kind of existance. Thanks!

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Annan Sohail 5 months ago

agreed with Carmilla "I believe honesty, clear communication, vulnerability, clear boundaries & an intent of the best in every dealing will certainly help any boss along to get the best out of their team.
"

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Emre8877 5 months ago

As leaders we are evaluated by subordinates and viewed somewhat on the basis of our confidence and empathy for others. One of the areas I like to focus on is their mental and emotional states as it relates to hope and worry when some action is required. I remind them that hope is like saying, "Wouldn't it be nice if ......?" while worry is "Wouldn't it be awful if .....?". It is always more productive to focus on solutions than problems and I find it is more joyful to be around hopeful people than the worriers.

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Bob Sutton 5 months ago in reply to Emre8877

Emre,

Great points. The power of framing things as positive and in terms of constructive action is at the very heart of a small wins strategy, which I dig into on point 2. I love the "nice" versus "awful" framing.

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Annan Sohail 5 months ago

great leaders never develop great followers, infact, develop great leaders and that is all about great boss. in my 10 years of experience as HR person, have worked in Telecom,IT,FMCG and NGO Sector, interacted with many bossess and worked with many bosses, it was hard to find a great leader.

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Baltazar Acevedo 5 months ago

I believe that first of all there is no such thing as a boss. To me it implies that I am superior to you, my subordinate, because I am higher on the organizational chart. In times of crisis, such as now with the economy, it is becomes obvious that organizations that are led by individuals who are constantly immersed in the middle of the action, with their sleeves rolled up and always on the prowl to listen and engage workers as equals with talents and assets to share are going to get moving faster than those led by "bosses" who may or may not be the brightest ones in the room. My perspectives and biases are grounded in my experiences as a farm worker during the 1960's when bosses were viewed as overseers who saw us as nothing more than hired muscle. As a professor of Research and Leadership I now sense that students and the tech savvy workforces do not want to be Bossed around but rather led by someone who is invested in the middle of the melee.

Baltazar Arispe y Acevedo, Jr

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ShirtsGoneWild 6 months ago

A Boss or a Capo, as we are called, are open to any ideas that have open end and impartial factors. A true wise man, will be accepting to his or hers, employees sentiments, since great companies have moved on to be conglomerates, thanks to the innovative ideas brought forth. Now it's the executive management turn to give back to the employees. Profit sharing is a start.

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Todd Curry 6 months ago

Though pithy, the statement "Bad is stronger than good" is arguable, prima facie.

I would suggest "Bad multiplies; good adds," which seems to summarize my feelings and those listed by others:
- one bad customer experience can be devastating; it takes many good customer experiences to add up to great customer experiences
- one bad financial or strategic decision can be catastrophic; one must add many small wins together to succeed
- bad behavior is indeed a cancer that spreads through organizations, often multiplied by followers of bad bosses; good behavior takes longer to inculcate

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Bob Sutton 6 months ago in reply to Todd Curry

Todd. Good points. Please wait for my longer post and see what you think. The argument is evidence based and basically is that eliminating the negative packs more wallop at least in interpersonal relationships than accetuating the positive. Bad people and bad emotions pack more wallop than good ones. Thanks. Bob

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I/OMarketer 6 months ago

I love this thread, and thank you for the wonderful insights into being a good boss. I have recently taken on a team of my own within a small company and this is my first time having people who directly report to me. What a challenge! Being in a small company (less than 10 in our office) with a huge market share in our vertical, presents an incredible amount of obstacles both internally and externally. One thing I particularly struggle with internally is being viewed as a friend rather than a boss. I try to cultivate and motivate my employees through brainstorming sessions and feedback sessions, however, because of my encouraging nature, I find it difficult to draw the friend/boss line for them when issues arise. I think another key that bosses should live by is: I will maintain sanity in less than ideal situations with my employees. Furthermore, I will evaluate my responses to these situations thoroughly (24 hours if need be) before making myself look like an ass or saying something in haste because I have held it in for so long. Food for thought from a newbie :)

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hltran 6 months ago

While what Robert says here is very helpful, I have to say that eliminating the bad should come after developing the employees. As, it is easy to detect things that aren't working. But, the true work lies in "fixing" the issue, which start with the employees. Sometimes, when an employee is shown concern by management over what he/she is going through, the "problem" may correct itself. Because this increases trust, it may also increase loyalty, and as a result improve processes. In this way, excellent bosses groom better employees.

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Saduddin shajjan 6 months ago

I really learned a lot from all of you.
thanks for all the wonderful comments.

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Guy Farmer 6 months ago

Great ideas Robert. I'd be interested to see if excellent listening skills and praise enter into the equation. I've found that people who help build others up tend to create a more motivated workforce. We could say that good bosses believe in helping employees use their talents and abilities. Also, good bosses believe in listening to their employees without interruption or need to direct the conversation. I think excellent leaders also believe that success isn't about them, it's about their people. With respect to #10, I think leaders that focus on the bad exclusively may forget to create a strengths based workplace or be too busy putting out fires to help people grow.

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Bob Sutton 6 months ago in reply to Guy Farmer

Guy,

I think listening skills are huge. It is suggested above in :fight as if you are right, listen as if you are wrong," but that is the tip of the iceberg. The best bosses really listen, they don't just pretend. They ask questions because they want to listen to the answers, not because they want to pretend that they care about what others think.

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RPS 6 months ago

Great dozen! I particularly like your book ends. Numbers 1 and 12 speak to a boss who demonstrates humility. Showing humility and vulnerability builds trust. An arrogant boss is always a bad boss. The best bosses give credit to others for wins and take responsibility for losses.

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Natalie Rudow 6 months ago

There are so many good ideas and I have just one thought to add.
Empathy, you must have empathy for employees, peers, bosses, customers and other relationships. This is one of my guiding principals that helps me understand people and their drivers. In return I am better suited to support different/new ideas for innovation, problem solving and personal needs.
I'm not sure if this would help anyone else but it works well for me.

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Tigran 6 months ago

Article is very interesting and teaching. Thank you. At the same time I think that every great leader have to strive for perfection in the assigned area in terms of technical and systems knowledge and be able to apply possessed knowledge in a best possible way.

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K Brahma 6 months ago

Dear Bob / Tara
A few thoughts besides your comprehensive list :
1) Growth of my subordinates is also my responsibility - I should be able to mentor them to take over my position.
2) I need to honestly transmit the directives of the top management to my subordinates to which I am privy but the others may not be.
3) A department / group/ team is as good or as bad as portrayed / presented by the head - It is therefore to my responsibility to project the correct picture of the department / group/ team to the management.
Would love to hear your comments on my points

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Larry Baxter 6 months ago

Interesting article, thanks for sharing those thoughts on important beliefs prevalent among great bosses. I must say, they are a *very* different list from what I would see as describing an excellent boss. (It's possible we have in mind very different work environments in which these bosses are working?) The need to listen and to show humility is one I would call very important. But on my list I would also have to include things like: cares about the people he supervises as individuals, places great priority on developing and supporting them, likes to set very clear expectations and give immediate feedback with respect, ask what I think on decisions that affect me, and make sure that the work we do aligns very clearly with the mission of the organization and provides clear value to others.

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Peter Blokland 6 months ago

I agree with your 12 things good bosses believe and I think there are many more believes to add to them. I have studied leadership a bit over the past 30 years and came to the following 10 commandments of leadership. Or rules to be a good boss. Maybe you'll find something to add to your list.

1. Know your mission, know your goal(s)
2. Develop a clear vision on how to reach your goals, how you will fulfil your mission
3. Communicate your vision in a clear and easy to understand way towards yourself, your collaborators and other people surrounding you.
4. Actively listen to yourself, your collaborators and other people surrounding you
5. DECIDE! Immediately if necessary, after consultation if possible
6. Behold integrity and take up your responsibility! Walk your talk! Be honest and just towards yourself, your collaborators and other people surrounding you
7. Be respectful towards yourself, your collaborators and other people surrounding you
8. Be flexible! The most flexible system is the best performing one!
9. Be empathic. Don’t deny your own feelings and have sympathy for your collaborators and other people surrounding you
10. Have compassion and understanding for yourself your collaborators and other people surrounding you.

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Mohammad Waheed 6 months ago

Great post, thank you so much. I am not going to explain the behavior of bad bosses as many of bad bosses have many things common. However, one of my ex boss was Don Buskard and he was master of making you comfortable in any situation, especially when you make a mistake, he wouldn't criticize you. It was easy to approach to him, and we as employees shared ideas with him so we do not make mistake. I have not seen many bosses like him.

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Douglas Chalmers 6 months ago

This is utter garbage, uhh. It is no more than a system to conceal incompetence + mediocrity in management.

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Robin Donovan 6 months ago

Usually when the deliverable does not meet my requirements I have contributed by not being crystal clear in my expectations.

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Ullas 6 months ago

Fantastic piece! Most people managers are deluded into thinking that their job is to 'get work done'. My experience tells me that nothing helps pep up an employee more than a manager who is willing to spend time with them and provide at least some high-level guidance. It is not just about instructing people but working with people.

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Julian Keniry 7 months ago

Dear Adam,

Thank you for offering these insights. This post, and the responses, are lively, insightful and surprising.

They apply as well to the non-profit world as to business. In our case, we are working to bring about a new, clean energy future and protect wildlife for our children's future in the face of a massive oil spill in the Gulf, denial of climate science, and a growing trend of children spending most of their time indoors.

Finding that balance of happiness and hopefulness, removing the negative, worrying about the right issues and details, resisting the urge to try to compete for recognition, respecting and elevating the staff, being self-aware and getting out of the way of good ideas, while empowering and funding innovation, seem all the more important when the stakes are so high. I look forward to the posts on the next 11 points.

-Jules

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Faris Salama 7 months ago

Couple of thing remain in my mind as good boss
Manage your self befor managing people
Be role model for your direct reporter

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Sandra Benoit 7 months ago

Really thought-provoking article.

One of the other thoughts that struck me over the years is from Peter Senge. What leaders pay attention to matters. I have found that so many poor leaders and managers say, "but I said that I wanted things done this way." Because they then didn't pay attention to how things were done, people followed the path of least resistance. On a positive note, when I wanted my team to start working more strategically, I started paying attention and rewarding comments that demonstrated strategic thinking. Interestingly, a year later all my employees had read the new corporate strategic document before I asked them (and before I had a chance to read them). There is a lot of power in what you pay attention to, so be careful.

Like several others, I struggle a little with #10. I guess the struggle is with what does it mean to eliminate the bad. I agree that one bad employee can really sour the workplace, but I think it is also important to understand why they are a "bad" employee. Are they in the wrong job? Has no one managed their behaviour in the past? I would like to link this more closely with #3. Here is my story:

I had an employe who was considered a "bad" employee, to the point where other employees and managers refused to meet with her. My ultimate objective was that she worked well in a team environment (essential in her position), but I didn't wait to reward her behaviour for perfection. My focus on her small wins kept her motivated. I rewarded her for progress, then set a new target. She will probably never be the best team player, but she improved to the point required by her job. In the end, the bad was eliminated, but I took time to do it.

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Paul Smith 7 months ago

Bob-I would like to add #13: Sometimes the best way to control situations is to give up control over it and just yield.
My explanation behind this is too large for a comment space. The reasoning can be found on my blog, Welcome To The Occupation, in an article entitled, The Great Control Trick.
Thanks for 1 to 12. They are great food for thought.

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Alberto 7 months ago

I really think that your post captures many ideas on this tricky and complex issue: indeed, the complexity of the question asks for a direct and compact communication for all the people understanding. I would like to contribute with a suggestion on its communication.

You perphaps will capture better the attention of the readers and improve their understanding by sorting your points somehow. I am sending you my suggestion below. My congratulations and encouragement for your task.

Regarding the selfmanagement of the leader: Points: 1, 7, 12.
Regarding his team management: Points: 4, 6, 8
The execution and goal pursuing: "How centric" Points: 2 and 3, 9, 10, 11.
Outsite people and powers: Point 5

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Robert Davis 7 months ago

This is an excellent list but I would add an item around the idea of "purpose" in the workplace. A good manager needs to understand the overall purpose of their team within the organization and effectively communicate the purpose to employees so that the team's work is focused on the most important goals. It is possible for employees to do a great job focused on the wrong goals and a happy group would result but they might not contribute anything to the overall organization. This goes along with the idea that a good boss helps their employees advance; guiding employees to focus on the goals that are important to the organization can help them succeed in title, promotion, salary, recognition, etc. It also connects with motivation as employees are much easier to motivate when individual and team goals are aligned with overall goals.

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Paul 7 months ago

Thanks Bob!! That was a great article. I would like add a couple of things about Bad bosses based on my experience. Some bosses wouldn't trust their team and try to do the entire work by themselves event though the team is completely capable of handling that work. If the boss trusts the team and coach, lead them to do the work, it would build the team's confidence and gain respect for him.

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Dan 7 months ago

Thanks for this, Bob, especially Point #1. To really understand this point in our hearts and souls, I believe, will take us a long ways and probably will help us touch on all the rest of the points, as well.

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Joe T 7 months ago

Wow, this is crazy. I've felt this way so many times as president of my fraternity but just didn't know how to describe how I run things to new members. This is perfect.


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Bernie Walko 7 months ago

Fundamentally sound advice. I agree with all, practice many and wish I could articulate as well as Mr. Sutton.

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago in reply to Bernie Walko

Bernie,

It is easier to talk about being a good boss than to do it! And doing it is what really matters

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William J Reynolds 7 months ago

Excellent! I might move #5 further up the list, and perhaps add something about giving employees loyalty as opposed to merely expecting it from them. Thanks for a well-considered article!

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Mary_Pat_Whaley 7 months ago

I interpret #5 as my effort to make it safe in the organization (at least the part I manage) to make mistakes and to be human. The tricky part is walking the line between making it so safe that people feel that mistakes don't matter, and making it safe enough to stand the pressure of healthcare every single day. I tell the staff that my job is to free them to do their job.

I enjoyed this very much.

Thanks, Bob.

Mary Pat

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago in reply to Mary_Pat_Whaley

Mary Pat,

A great comment, and it turns out that some of the best research here is in health care, that when there is a climate of fear, the same mistakes are made over and over because people are afraid to admit it and teach others how to avoid the mistakes they have made. But none of us wants to be the person who is victim of the mistake.

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Chris Young 7 months ago

Awesome post Bob! I've included it in my Rainmaker top five blog picks of the week (http://www.maximizepossibility...) to share this wonderful example of how a great boss should think.

Be well!

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago in reply to Chris Young

Chris,

Thanks! I appreciate it.

Bob

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Chris Oestereich 7 months ago

Bob,
These 12 Things are launching points for valuable introspection, and as such are going up on the wall of my office. Thank you for sharing these thought provoking ideas. Those of us who are up the challenge are sure to find fodder for personal growth. Those who give themselves an easy pass on all points are certainly oblivious to their own failings.
-Chris Oestereich

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Bob Sutton 7 months ago in reply to Chris Oestereich

Chris,

This is really an interesting comment. I just came back from talking about bosses with a group of CEOs and two of them made a very strong argument that they wished that business schools and companies would teach and support introspection more strongly.

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stilltimeforabetterone 7 months ago

The best boss I ever had, early in my career, employed what he referred to as the "Davy Crockett" rule: "Be sure you're right, then go ahead". Working by that rule, I felt trusted and empowered to take appropriate risks to achieve goals, knowing that he would support my decisions or at the very least, the process behind them.

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wfjbin 7 months ago

guys, i think the philosophy is about how employers, as human being, modify their behavior and mindset for the benefit of people around him and also himself. After all, he should know that he is in the same boat with his staff. A bad boss is not absolute; under the skin, we are the same except that some part of us is calling out for humanity and has ourselves start to care about others. Anyway, the world won'st stop because there are bad bosses of half of the population.

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Tom Sebastian 7 months ago

Hi Jeff and Tara,

Very interesting interpretations on #10. On the contrary i feel do agree with Robert when saying "Bad is stronger than good" and the reason for this is that doing something bad always sticks out like a sore in they eye or is something that causes biases against a person or organisation.
Its the ability of 'bad' to stick onto mindsets is what makes it such a formidable mercinary that you need to have to acknowedge that it is stronger. Doing a million things right can be nullified with one wrong doing!

Looking forward to your thoughts on this,

Cheers,
Tom

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Joseph Ludford 7 months ago

I want to complement you on taking an evidence-based approach. Too many writers on the subject of leadership and management seem to be giving us anecdotal evidence and opinion rather than fact. Before I saw this I only knew about Kouzes and Posner and Warren Bennis who have based their work on research over a long period of time. I'm looking forward to reading more of your work.

I had a negative feeling as I read through the 12 things good bosses believe. I think its because the bosses you are talking about are managers, and I've been studying executive level leadership. My mind is full of concepts such as vision, alignment and transformational change, and the positive behaviors needed to implement those concepts. I think values and beliefs both determine effectiveness of managers and leaders and I look forward to your writing on the subject.


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Doru Stancu 7 months ago in reply to Joseph Ludford

I studied exec level leadership as well, but I still believe the 12 rules posted by Robert Sutton really are at the core of great leadership. They may not be complete, but they talk about most of the matters a leader (at managerial or executive level) has to deal with. The fact they are based on true stats & facts hints towards a distillation process. Also, the wording is important, one needs to read these statements carefully, to get their real meaning - at least those who got the right stuff to become great leaders will get the message... :)
Thanks Robert.

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Adil 7 months ago

Top ten ponits showing excellent ideas. management is really becoming pretty mathematical and scientific. The top bosses will need to have a very special brain to cope with the upcoming challenges-they will have to be the fittest to survive and more than that if they wanna conquer. Isnt it?

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Paul Andrew 7 months ago

This is a great and well written article... what is clear is that BALANCE is a key responsibility of the leader

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Marc Ventresca 7 months ago

Bob, all:
This is a powerful set of 12, with additional wisdom from other colleagues. The precepts you identify speak directly to how a 'boss' recognizes her/his role and puts this recognition into practice. But the boss here is in a bit of an under-specified space. How does the boss' own situation, resources, local 'rules of the game' impact the boss' ability to stay true to these practices?
With appreciation, Marc V.

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John L Painter 7 months ago

I'm surprised at the amount of questions around item #10, which seems to me quite obvious. As the director in a community mental health agency in Maine, I am constantly trying to clear ground for my staff. They are confronted by any number of obstacles; client deaths, fiscal uncertainty, interpersonal conflicts (though within the team it's very rare, it does happen within the larger agency and of course in the larger community), changes in public policy, etc, etc.

What I find most exciting to think about, and hard to practice is item #4. I really never know when I'm doing this correctly other than to gauge whether my staff stay on or leave in droves, which I take as some measure of whether they feel there's a balance, obviously there's more to it but this is one aspect I can gauge from. There is a concept in what's presented that I disagree with, since I don't think it's reasonable to be painted into the either/or game; you're assertive or you're passive, or for that matter truly being in the middle. Rather what I think goes on, much like a switch in a circuit, you're rapidly going between passive and assertive maybe that's a type of balance but balance isn't what it's about. It's about right or wrong as an approach in each circumstance, or maybe a better way to describe it the shaping of what's reality and what isn't. I like #4 there's a lot going on in that one.

Brilliant work, I can't wait to read more!

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Alvin Ong 7 months ago

One thing i want to add to be a good boss is an example of being a good leader. Having to know what they needs, caring for them, showing them how importamt they are in the company, and showing them that what you say is sincere and understanding what they are doing. Most employees doesn't believe a boss if they're always talk and doesn't have an understanding what they are doing. The best boss is having to gain their employees trust, caring and understanding them, and knowing that they're there for them. In the end, we are all the same people regardless of race and color.

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Ronn Kolbash 7 months ago

Having been an avid reader of Work Matters (Bob's blog), I strongly concur with #10. Bad is stronger than good. I wish it were not true, but as I am confident the evidence will show that it is. A good/healthy boss or work environment does not have the same impact across various levels (personal health - your own as well as friends/family you interact with, personal/professional development, job satisfaction, etc) as does a bad/negative environment.


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Moti Karmona 7 months ago

Very insightful - Thanks!
IMHO #1, #4, #5, #6, #7, #11 and #12 really touched the heart of leadership.

-- Moti

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Matt Nelson 7 months ago

This is great work and very helpful. I'd like to add a #13 which is similar to what Judy wrote above.

#13 - I don't have to convey that I am better than my employees at what they do. Realize that if I hired my team correctly there will be levels of expertise that is unique to each individual and I shouldn't pretend that I know it all.

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John Clevenger 7 months ago

The article overall points out 12 items for which I largely agree and certainly find to be true, with two exceptions: Point #1 : Are you really trying to indicate that a good manager has a flawed and incomplete view? I believe a good manager really needs to regularly assess their 360 degree view and understand well what it is like to work for them. This is very key to assessing your staff and assuring continued long term performance of the organization. 2. While master of the mundane and obvious is certainly important, really, it is deeper than that. A good boss truly helps one think through situations and coach and mentor to train my successor.

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Alistair Cockburn 7 months ago in reply to John Clevenger

John, I think you overlooked the key words at the start of #1: "I have a flawed and incomplete understanding of what it feels like to work for me." is not saying the boss /has/ a flawed and incomplete understanding etc, but "feels like" he or she has such.

That difference is key to me ... bosses who /think/ they know what they're like to work for will make myriad painful mistakes because they're probably wrong. By keeping open the question of what they're like to work for, they're open to new information.


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Bob Sutton 7 months ago

Tara,

Thanks for your comment. But please wait for my post in a couple weeks on Bad is Stronger Than Good. I wish it wasn't true, but as you will see from some very rigorous research, the best bosses can have a lot bigger impact by eliminating the negative than accentuating the positive. I am all for positive thinking and emotion, but I am making an evidence-based argument here, as you will see. Thanks again.

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Barry Schnur 7 months ago

I like Rule 10 as stated, and believe you are making this too relational.

People leave 'bad' environments all the time that, on balance, offer all sorts of amazing benefits. Think, for example, of a sexually harrassing boss in an otherwise top rated organization. That single characteristic will certainly negate all other positives initiatives. The bad can be overridingly toxic.

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Jeff 7 months ago

Great food for thought Robert. Thanks for sharing. I like that these beliefs focused on the relational aspects of leadership (rather than the technical). I love Number 8. It's easy to talk the "we allow mistakes" talk, and quite another thing to walk it.

One question though. Are you sure about Number 10? It flies directly in the face of Appreciative Inquiry theorists. I wonder if there's more grey area in there than you've allowed.

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Tara Rodden Robinson 7 months ago in reply to Jeff

Hi Jeff,

Great point about #10. I don't accept that bad is stronger than good. It does seem that bad (or doing "bad") can be easier, however, than taking the high road and doing/being good. This ease can make it seem as if bad is stronger when, in fact, bad is just lazy.

Here's my attempt at restatement of #10 in more of an appreciative inquiry vein (with some liberties taken on revising a teensy bit): Good is stronger than bad. It is more important to emphasize the positive than to focus solely on eliminating the negative.

Comments? Thoughts?

Best wishes,
Tara

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adam napell 7 months ago in reply to Tara Rodden Robinson

Tara,

Its funny. When I read #10, I thought the same as you. After re-reading his comment, I think the comment about "bad" is right on. Negatives are like a cancer, and can spread and fester, while positives or "goods" are quite often taken for granted. Positives always need to be accentuated; it's just that negatives always get accentuated as well. They need to be stamped out as quickly as possible so that the positives can really shine. In our business, one bad customer experience can take on a life of its own, especially with the many ways people are connected today.

Stay positive!

Adam

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Bobbi Kahler 7 months ago in reply to adam napell

Adam,
Great point about the customer experience! There has been a lot of interesting research about emotional contagion and one thing that is clear is that negative emotions are very strong and very contagious. They can override positive ones. (As a former student of David Cooperrider’s at Case Western, I have great respect for the power of positivity. So, I don’t like that this is true!) In talking with others about this -- especially managers -- it seems that most people have experiences that demonstrate the power of negative emotions. We've probably all been in a meeting where the mood was upbeat and then a higher-ranking manager entered the room in a foul mood. It doesn't take long for that foul mood to permeate the meeting. For managers to be truly effective and develop their team, they have to be aware of how they might be getting in the way of performance.

Bobbi

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adam napell 7 months ago in reply to Bobbi Kahler

Thanks, Bobbi. We've all had the experience you mentioned. I like the part about "getting out of the way" of your people. I need to be more aware of my behavior and effect it has on my people.

Just out of curiosity, what business are you in?

Adam

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Bobbi Kahler 7 months ago in reply to adam napell

Hi Adam,
It's rather sad that so many of us can relate to those types of experiences. I respect your comment about being more aware of your behavior and the effect it has on others. I don't want to violate any rules, but to answer your question, I work with managers to help them become great coaches for their team. It's extremely rewarding.
All the best,
Bobbi

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ray leigh 6 months ago in reply to Tara Rodden Robinson

I wrote a while back what to do when your brand hits a crisis and how its a fabulous time to get things done. That was your brand now something for leaders to think about when leading their business through crisis.

Leaders must face reality. Reality starts with the person in charge. Leaders need to look themselves in the mirror and recognize their role in creating the problems. Then they should gather their teams together and gain agreement about the root causes. Widespread recognition of reality is the crucial step before problems can be solved. Attempting to find short-term fixes that address the symptoms of the crisis only ensures the organization will wind up back in the same predicament. In order to understand the real reasons for the crisis, everyone on the leadership team must be willing to tell the whole truth. Leaders can’t solve problems if they don’t acknowledge their existence.

No matter how bad things are, they will get worse. Faced with bad news, many leaders cannot believe that things could really be so grim. Consequently, they try to convince the bearers of bad news that things aren’t so bad, and swift action can make problems go away. This causes leaders to under estimate what is required in terms of corrective actions. Inevitably, they wind up taking a series of steps, none of which is powerful enough to correct the downward spiral. It is far better for leaders to anticipate the worst and get out in front of it. If they restructure their cost base for the worst case, they can get their organisation healthy for the turn around when it comes and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves.

Build a mountain of cash, and take to the high ground. In good times leaders worry more about earnings per share and revenue growth than they do about their balance sheets. In a crisis, cash is king. Forget about earnings-per-share and all those stock market measures. The question is: Do you have sufficient cash to survive the most dire circumstances?

Get the world off your shoulders. In a crisis, many leaders act like Atlas, carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. They go into isolation, and think they can solve the problem themselves. In reality, leaders must have the help of all the people around them, to devise solutions and implement them. This means bringing people into their confidence, asking them for help and ideas, and gaining their commitment to painful corrective actions.

Before asking others to sacrifice, first volunteer yourself. If there are sacrifices to be made – and there will be – then the leaders should step up and make the greatest sacrifices themselves. Everyone is watching to see what the leaders do. Will they stay true to their values? Will they bow to external pressures, or confront the crisis in a straight-forward manner? Will they be seduced by short-term rewards, or will they make near-term sacrifices in order to fix the long-term situation?

I wrote before about attempting to stay cool and not panicking. Now is the time to make use of a good crisis. When things are going well, people resist major changes or try to get by with minor adaptations. A crisis provides the leader with the platform to get things done that were required anyway and offers the sense of urgency to accelerate implementation.

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R1ckBennett 7 months ago in reply to Tara Rodden Robinson

Bad is stronger than good because we have to work on the good everyday just to break even and the bad can wipe it out in an instant.
Good is stronger than bad in that it can hold the bad at bay.
So how to solve this paradox?
My opinion is that all too often we ask "what were you thinking" only after a bad event; a good manager should be checking up, asking "what are you thinking" as she goes. It might be attitiude, it might be training, it might be illness, it might be stress, but somewhere is a developing weak link that might allow bad to worm its way in; your job is to snuff out the small ones so the big ones do not have time to develop. Your points 5 and 8 seem to apply.

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