In honor of Boss’s Day this week (Friday, October 16th), we thought we’d write a bit about 5 qualities that make a great boss, because a business is only as good as its employees, and its employees are only as good as their leader! #facts
Care about your employees’ lives outside of work: In order to inspire employees while AT work, they need to feel like their boss cares about them OUTSIDE of work, TOO. A great way to do this is by offering workplace perks (such as wellness) that say “I care about the whole you.”
Give mental health the value it deserves: Nothing will bring down a business faster than employees with poor mental health. Burnout, absenteeism, lower productivity, presenteeism, and high turnover are all symptoms of this. Allowing employees to take mental health days when they need them and encouraging them to prioritize their health is a great way to ensure their long-term loyalty and value to the company.
Lead with empathy: Systems and strategies are key in a workplace, but so is empathy. This article on abetterleader.com explains its importance and is well worth the read. In short, empathetic leaders can take preventative measures as opposed to reactive measures.
Don’t micromanage: Steve Jobs stated this concept so well: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” Inspiring employees to do their best work will likely bring much better results than simply telling them how to do what they do.
Be yourself: No one respects someone who tries to be something they’re not. By being yourself – and equally importantly, allowing your employees to be themselves you can create a workplace in which many different people bring unique perspectives and strengths to the table.
We’ve learned a lot from many years of working with our corporate wellness clients. No one workplace is the same, but it’s no secret that the best bosses share a lot of the qualities listed above. How do YOU measure up?