5 Clear Reasons You Are Not a Great Boss ! These common blind spots could be preventing you from being the manager you need to be You want to be a great boss. You need to be a great boss. But unless you overcome these five barriers, according to Edwin Miller, CEO of the cloud-based strategy automation software company 9Lenses and author of Insight to Action: A Social Approach to Business Automation, you never will be: 1. You only stick to what you know. Its natural: If youre a programmer at heart youll spend most of your time on technical issues and product development and little on sales. If youre into numbers youll spend tons of time with cash flow and little with operations. When that happens, though, you only view your business through the lens of what you know--which means youll tend to ignore other areas critical to success, and often over-manage your area of expertise. No matter how great your product, it still must be sold; no matter how much strategic sense an expansion into new territories makes, it still must be financed. We all have a primary skill or interest; indulge yours, but when you find yourself having too much fun, that probably means other aspects of your business are left wanting. 2. You only act on what you observe. Of course you dont see what you cant see. But you can make choices that ensure you dont see what you could see--like if you stick too closely to only what you know. Stretch yourself. Peek into uncomfortable places. Focus on areas where you have less experience or less natural aptitude. Go on sales calls. Work in the warehouse for a few hours. Sit with your accountant and--gasp!--ask for a thorough analysis of your financial situation. Youll see a lot more than you normally see... and then youll be able to act on what you see. 3. You dont know what you dont know. You also cant know what you dont know. But you can accept that you dont know everything. All that stands in your way is a little (or a lot of) pride. When youre unsure, dont get defensive. Model the behavior you want your employees to display. Admit you dont have all the answers. Ask questions. Say you were wrong.Actively seek experiences that humble you--thats the best way to learn. 4. You value your work more than the work of others. Most of all us fall prey to this barrier. (I know I do.) Salespeople think marketing is easy; the marketing team simply creates materials and gathers leads. Your marketing team thinks the sales team has it made; all they have to do is close the leads they worked so hard to find. Operations thinks accounting has it made; all they do is count beans. Manufacturing actually makes beans. Like sticking with what you know, its a natural tendency: We know every decision, every detail, every step, and every ounce of effort that goes into our roles. We know its hard. We forget its just as hard for everyone else. 5. You nod when you dont understand. Do you admit when you dont get something? Its not always easy. Sometime its even embarrassing, especially if everyone else appears to be in the know. Asking questions because you dont understand may be embarrassing for you, but its even more embarrassing for your employees, especially if theyre afraid to look back in front of you. (If I ask a question, the boss will think I dont know my job...) Never try to save face; you lose a lot more than you save. If you dont understand, admit it. Youll get the answers you need... and youll signal to your employees that making great decisions based on great information is all that matters. Source: Inc i
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 10:41:44 +0000
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