Skip to main content

8 Core Beliefs of Extraordinary Bosses - Reprint

It's very seldom that I'd give up my blogging space, however, this is very profound. If you are one of these people, you know who you are. Congratulations on being the best boss/manager/leader ever. If you aren't one of these people, with characteristics that exemplify this high standard and quality...then you probably should rethink why you are in management. If you don't fit into this category, plain and simple, people don't like working for you, you create a culture that is difficult to exist in, and you don't create a place where people can grow, develop personally and thrive. If you did, this would all benefit your business in ways you cannot imagine. Healthy employees equals a healthy business. This is always good for the bottom line, if that's how you measure success. Anyway, I digress, please read and pass this on.


8 Core Beliefs of Extraordinary Bosses



Reprint from Inc.com, http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/8-core-beliefs-of-extraordinary-bosses.html






A few years back, I interviewed some of the most successful CEOs in the world in order to discover their management secrets. I learned that the "best of the best" tend to share the following eight core beliefs.

1. Business is an ecosystem, not a battlefield.
Average bosses see business as a conflict between companies, departments and groups. They build huge armies of "troops" to order about, demonize competitors as "enemies," and treat customers as "territory" to be conquered.
Extraordinary bosses see business as a symbiosis where the most diverse firm is most likely to survive and thrive. They naturally create teams that adapt easily to new markets and can quickly form partnerships with other companies, customers ... and even competitors.

2. A company is a community, not a machine.
Average bosses consider their company to be a machine with employees as cogs. They create rigid structures with rigid rules and then try to maintain control by "pulling levers" and "steering the ship."
Extraordinary bosses see their company as a collection of individual hopes and dreams, all connected to a higher purpose. They inspire employees to dedicate themselves to the success of their peers and therefore to the community–and company–at large.

3. Management is service, not control.
Average bosses want employees to do exactly what they're told. They're hyper-aware of anything that smacks of insubordination and create environments where individual initiative is squelched by the "wait and see what the boss says" mentality.
Extraordinary bosses set a general direction and then commit themselves to obtaining the resources that their employees need to get the job done. They push decision making downward, allowing teams form their own rules and intervening only in emergencies.

4. My employees are my peers, not my children.
Average bosses see employees as inferior, immature beings who simply can't be trusted if not overseen by a patriarchal management. Employees take their cues from this attitude, expend energy on looking busy and covering their behinds.
Extraordinary bosses treat every employee as if he or she were the most important person in the firm. Excellence is expected everywhere, from the loading dock to the boardroom. As a result, employees at all levels take charge of their own destinies.

5. Motivation comes from vision, not from fear.
Average bosses see fear--of getting fired, of ridicule, of loss of privilege--as a crucial way to motivate people. As a result, employees and managers alike become paralyzed and unable to make risky decisions.
Extraordinary bosses inspire people to see a better future and how they'll be a part of it. As a result, employees work harder because they believe in the organization's goals, truly enjoy what they're doing and (of course) know they'll share in the rewards.

6. Change equals growth, not pain.
Average bosses see change as both complicated and threatening, something to be endured only when a firm is in desperate shape. They subconsciously torpedo change ... until it's too late.
Extraordinary bosses see change as an inevitable part of life. While they don't value change for its own sake, they know that success is only possible if employees and organization embrace new ideas and new ways of doing business.

7. Technology offers empowerment, not automation.
Average bosses adhere to the old IT-centric view that technology is primarily a way to strengthen management control and increase predictability. They install centralized computer systems that dehumanize and antagonize employees.
Extraordinary bosses see technology as a way to free human beings to be creative and to build better relationships. They adapt their back-office systems to the tools, like smartphones and tablets, that people actually want to use.

8. Work should be fun, not mere toil.
Average bosses buy into the notion that work is, at best, a necessary evil. They fully expect employees to resent having to work, and therefore tend to subconsciously define themselves as oppressors and their employees as victims. Everyone then behaves accordingly.
Extraordinary bosses see work as something that should be inherently enjoyable–and believe therefore that the most important job of manager is, as far as possible, to put people in jobs that can and will make them truly happy.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Christmas: 22 Days and Counting - My Grown-Up Christmas List

Let's be real. Who hasn't walked past the Santa in the mall and just for a split second, thought about standing in line, sitting on his lap and sharing our own Christmas wish list?  (Yes, that's me in the photo below the last time I actually sat on Santa's lap!) From a child's perspective, Santa is THE guy. He's the ultimate, most recognized gift giver, the most talked about person the day before and after Christmas, and the only one who can get away with wearing a bright red suit with white trim in the middle of the 21st century. He's the epitome of what it means to be jolly. He's the decider of who's good and bad and rewards accordingly. He is most likely the world's largest employer, putting more people to work than anyone on the planet! And somehow gets it all done before December 25th. And the perception is that he will grant your every wish, bring you everything your heart desires, leaving nothing unchecked on your never ending list.

The Grace of Giving

Captivating. Radiant.  Beautiful. Graceful. Stunning. Pretty. Absolutely gorgeous. Lovely.  Ravishing.   These are words that one would use to describe a blushing bride on her wedding day. Walking down the aisle, everyone who is watching has a thought, a word, or a gasp of expression for the beauty that is synonymous with a bride in a wedding dress. There's something about the lace overlay, tiny buttons lined up down the middle of the back, the white flowing Chiffon, Charmeuse or Satin fabric, the plunging neckline, cinched in waistline or the trailing veil. It's a complete package of nothing less than amazing beauty, every element seemingly necessary to help you feel as special as you are on your day. Wearing a garment as special as a wedding dress creates a punctuation mark on the journey to cross over from life alone to life with another person. The walk through this threshold is brief but meaningful, filled with emotions, it’s definitely a pivotal moment in your l

Can it get any more precious?

Michael walked out to the car, said to me "I'm going to give her to you, then drive the car around." What? Oh, we were at the airport last night to pick up Beth and Bre. It was late, and you know the airports - they don't let you wait by the curb for your arriving party. So, we were across the street in the waiting lot. He walks over, as I open up the door, he hands me this bundle that turned out to be Lily. Lily was sound asleep. I mean she didn't even feel the cold air when he walked outside. The beauty about little children sleeping so soundly is that you see every little detail of their face, their lips so pressed together, their eye lashes glued against their cheeks, their hair in a tussle. At this moment especially, they are so kissable! As I'm cradling her in my arms she has no idea that I'm holding her. I kiss her forhead and tell Michael how precious everything about her is, to which he agrees, but adds "she's getting so