Today is National Boss’ Day.
… Say what?
Yes, that was my reaction this morning, too, when I heard it on the radio during my (increasingly cold) drive to the bus to NYC. I decided to put my WikiPhD education to good use. I discovered that National Boss’ Day is celebrated in the United States (Go Corporate ‘Murica!), Canada, and … Lithuania! It seems a rather random collection of countries but hey, I’ll take it. Wikipedia has never failed me before. In Peers We Trust.
I see lists all over the webs, but over the years I’ve developed my own views on what makes a good manager. I am blessed with a great boss, so in celebration of National Boss’ Day, here is my personal list.
Hallmarks of a great boss:
1. Gives assignments in context. I don’t know how many times in my first job when I had no idea why I was assigned to do something. I spent a lot of time being very confused :P In a larger, hierarchical organization, I think this risk is fairly prevalent. And for someone who had just graduated college, it can be difficult to infer what the purpose of an assignment is. In retrospect, I wish that I had asked more questions of that nature. Now that I have worked under someone who frames my projects with a larger picture, it’s hard for me to understand why I never expected or asked for this before in prior jobs.
2. Answers questions. Of course, to some extent, all managers who want your project to succeed will be open to answering questions that help you get the task done. But some managers can make it intimidating, for example by making you feel like what you’re asking is too basic. My manager, however, is totally open to questions and answers them without judgment, which has made it easy for me to ask higher level questions, which in turn has made me a better worker.
3. Makes you feel important/recognizes your contributions. My boss makes me look good to other managers at the firm. Even when he’s speaking to really important people, if he is referencing something that I’ve spent time developing, he attributes it to me. This has made me feel like an important contributor to the firm’s success, which makes me feel more responsible for my work and do a better job.
4. Gives you projects that develop your career. My boss could have easily given me menial tasks, and saved the interesting ones for more senior analysts who can complete it in less time. But he has been great about giving me chances to work on higher value-add projects. They have helped me become a more confident decision maker and risk taker. I think that in many ways, my decision to put myself on the Internet with my vlog channel was driven by the confidence and risk appetite I gained working for my current boss.
5. Mentors. We don’t have a formal mentoring program at my company but my boss has done an amazing job being both a manager and a mentor. I believe that the difference is, a manager tells you things to make the company stronger – delegating tasks, training, etc., whereas a mentor tells you things to make you stronger.
6. Has faith in you. A great boss will keep giving you projects and responsibilities even when you make a ton of mistakes. I have definitely made a ton of mistakes! But for every new project, I definitely make fewer than the project before!
Happy weekend, everyone!
xoxo,
the closing belle
**************************************
BLOGTOBER: Blogging every other day in October!
