What Makes A Good Boss?

What Makes A Good Boss?

If you search the Internet and ask what makes a good manager (boss), you will find countless articles listing traits like decisiveness, communication, organization, reliability, and leadership. But what about those traits truly inspire his/her employees to give 110% to a job? What motivates an employee to go above and beyond just a paycheck?

As an employee, you certainly want a decisive boss who inspires the sense that what you do is how it should be done. Communication is critical in that it’s understood what is expected. You want an organized boss because their mess will become yours. Reliability shows that you can rely on your boss to act or move in a way that can shape your work output. Finally, there is leadership, where you know it is okay to follow a boss’s lead. But do those things touch the hearts of an employee?

All of us have our ideas on what makes a good boss. Hopefully, you have had one in your working past. What was it about him/her that made you feel this way? We all know that feelings derive from the heart, and they captured yours.

I think empathy is the most essential quality a boss can have. Emotion researchers define empathy as the ability to sense other people’s emotions and imagine what someone else might think or feel.

Think of that good boss you have or may have had and tell yourself that empathy didn’t play a part in why you like them. Now tell me that you wouldn’t go the extra mile for them.

I recently came to this conclusion with my boss in the last two weeks. I was given an assignment that was above my knowledge and expertise. When the task was given, my boss believed I was capable. I didn’t want to disappoint him. And to be quite honest, the paycheck was great.

I pushed my fears aside. This assignment was months away. I could “study” hard and learn the skills needed to do the job. Fear of failing is a motivating factor. I learned what I could learn about the job and worked at developing those skills to be ready for when the assignment was due.

As I sat there trying to master those capabilities, I realized I was out of my league. I wanted to become adept at things that have taken professionals years to learn. Yet, I was determined. Deep down inside, I knew that I was incapable.

The assignment came due, and there was no way to stop the ball from rolling. After repeated attempts, I could have done better. I sincerely thought that I was going to be let go. I made a failed attempt to speak with my boss about what was going on with me, and in his defense, he was understanding and assured me that I wasn’t going to be fired. The assignment was handed over to another person, and my role was changed significantly.

Failing this assignment hurt. My ego and confidence in myself were shattered. But I knew being replaced was the right thing to do for the project. So, I moved beyond the hurt and realized the new assignment was the right place for my skill set.

As my boss left that evening, he pulled me aside and reassured me that I wasn’t fired and that the situation would be resolved. I thanked him and watched him drive away, sighing relief I still had a job.

I woke up early the following day, still trying to process the previous day’s events. A brief moment later, my phone rang. I looked at my caller ID and noticed that my boss was calling. I took a deep breath and answered.

Pleasantries were exchanged, and he told me why he was calling — to apologize. I was speechless. He then apologized again for assigning me a task that he thought was one thing and proved to be another. He was sorry that I had not had the training and that he had placed me in that situation.

I told him that replacing me was suitable for the project, and I meant it. As much as it hurt, it was the truth.

My boss didn’t have to make that call, but it made all the difference. He displayed empathy. Throughout the previous evening, he imagined what I felt and put himself in my place. He touched my heart, and that is something a paycheck can never do.

Having experienced this episode with my boss, I have changed my perspective on job performance. Indeed, I do my best in all that I do. But that effort is on a personal level. Now that I know that my boss can put himself in my place, I’ve got his back, and he has my 110%