5 Practical Tactics to Become a Great Boss

Why be a good boss when you can become a great boss?

There’s really no sense in settling on good. After all, if you haven’t heard this from author Jim Collins, Good is the enemy of great.

More importantly, if you’re already a good leader, you don’t have to jump through hoops or become someone you aren’t to be a great leader.

“Team members {need to} feel like they are supported and have a boss they can depend on and look to as a leader, not just a boss,” says Jonathan Shroyer, founder of Officium Labs which is now Arise Virtual Solutions, where he is Chief CX Innovation Officer. “People want great bosses, and this is becoming even more important in cultivating and retaining the right workers for your company.”

Here are five research-proven and time-honored tactics to become a great boss and effective leader:

Channel Creativity to Become a Great Boss

Some of the best leaders in any organization hold this characteristic in common: creativity. With that, they solve problems more easily and build confidence on their teams.

“When leaders feel confident that they can produce creative outcomes, their subordinates become more creative,” says  Dina Krasikova, assistant professor of management at The University of Texas at San Antonio, who published the research in Science Daily.

Creativity, in and of itself, isn’t what helps them become great bosses, though. Instead, their choices positively influence employees around them.

“A factor in this is the power of positive thinking,” Krasikova says. “Leaders can imbue their subordinates with confidence and creativity just by setting an example themselves.”

So, at the risk of sounding cliché, think outside the box more often. Share your creative ideas and solutions first to see how others react – with enthusiasm or fear. Then, if there’s more fear, ask the team for creative ideas – and go with the lowest-risk ideas until everyone sees a string of success with trying creative ideas and solutions.

Roll Up Your Sleeves

The best leaders don’t step ahead of their teams. But when you must rise up to lead, they carry the team with them.

They’re also the ultimate team players, Shroyer finds. Not only do they act the part when necessary – that is, they pitch in when team members need help – they consider themselves part, not head, of the group.

This serves two purposes: First, the boss who stands with the team won’t condescend to or leave behind employees. Secondly, you’ll run a more effective and efficient operation – and nearly everyone can respect a well-oiled machine.

So get in the trenches when necessary to help and inspire.

Boast and Bow

Great leaders show pride for their team and employee accomplishments. But they’re humble about their own.

You want to consistently recognize employees’ efforts and accomplishments – not just when they’re grandiose. Great bosses know the effort is nearly as important as the accomplishment. Without honest everyday efforts, neither small nor great things will get done.

Whether you use calendar alerts, conscious observation or sticky notes to remind yourself to boast on employees’ efforts and accomplishments, do it sincerely. Half-hearted recognition and rewards is almost worse than none.

Also, when you are recognized for accomplishments, spread the love: acknowledge the team and what they’ve done to help you achieve it.

Lead with Compassion, Direct with Clarity

Great leaders use compassion as a guidepost, not a compass. They recognize the need for empathy and concern for their employees, but don’t lose sight of business needs.

In practice, that means great leaders give direction with clarity, confirming employees see the goal and know the available resources. They maintain high expectations and make sure employees agree to the same.

This is where the compassion comes in play: Great leaders understand mistakes, missteps and failures happen.

When those happen, directly address mistakes with employees with kindness while still keeping the focus on expectations. Then they work together to resolve the situation.

Give the Ultimate Feedback

Whether employees say they like it or not, they need feedback. And great leaders give it better than good leaders.

Harvard Business School experts have found this style of feedback packs the right punch:

• Start with a positive intent. Let employees know your goal is to set them up for continued (for superstars) or future (for underachievers) success.
• Be specific and brief. Describe what you’ve observed – the exact thing you want them to stop, start or continue doing.
• Show the impact. Explain – again, specifically and briefly – the impact of the behavior – for instance, a loss of something good, a gain of something bad or a success.
• Take a temperature check. Ask how your feedback is landing. Then employees can clarify, share more information or correct assumptions.
• Address next steps. Clarify what you’ll track, assess, share or support going forward.