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6 ways to tell if your boss is a good leader

What makes a boss a leader? (Source: Getty)
What makes a boss a leader? (Source: Getty)

There’s an oft-quoted saying by talent expert Marcus Buckingham: “People leave managers, not companies.”

And it’s true. You may love the work you do and your colleagues, but a bad manager will undo all of that.

It could be the sole reason you put yourself back on the job market.

So, in order to keep their team happy and keep productivity high, what kind of traits should a great boss exhibit?

1. They give credit where credit’s due

A great boss will give recognition to the work of team members that will be explicit and fair. This in turn creates “a positive environment and culture where team members are more appreciative of each others’ efforts,” recruitment firm, Michael Page wrote in a blog post.

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Best-selling business author Peter Economy urges bosses to go a step further. “Make a big deal about it,” he wrote in Inc.

“When things are going well in your organization, let people know -- early and often. Publicly recognise productive employees for their contributions.”

Acknowledgement for good work can be more motivational than bonuses, he pointed out, and can encourage sustained outstanding performance.

2. They’re communicative

A team can only be at its best when everyone is working effectively together, and the bar for communication is largely set from the top down.

Just as much as your boss is responsible for communicating goals, targets and initiatives, it’s just as important for feedback to flow freely back to them. This will also minimise conflict and misunderstanding down the track, Michael Page explained.

“Remember that communication is a tool that can (and should) inspire and motivate your people as well as surface and resolve problems,” added Economy.

3. They play ‘chess, not checkers’

A great leader has a keen sense of the strengths and weaknesses of their team and will play to these, said US-based author of best-selling book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 Travis Bradberry.

“Think about the difference. In checkers, all the pieces are basically the same,” Bradberry wrote in Forbes, adding that no one wanted to feel like a “faceless cog in the proverbial wheel”.

“In chess, on the other hand, each piece has a unique role, unique abilities, and unique limitations. Unforgettable bosses are like great chess masters. They recognise what’s unique about each member of their team.”

4. They are the rock of the team

Every team will face challenges and rough patches. How your boss deals with them sets the tone for the rest of the team for how obstacles should be tackled.

A good boss doesn’t get rattled, and in the words of Apollo 13’s flight director Eugene Kranz, who kept his cool after the explosion: “you do not pass uncertainty down to your team members”. A boss that is calm in the face of a storm will be remembered by their team years down the track.

4. They have humility

A true leader leads by example, and never shirks their responsibilities or dishes out commands just because they can: instead, they win the team over by seeking to really listen to everyone’s point of view.

“A humble leader will help team members feel more comfortable by connecting with them,” said Michael Page.

“Also, team members will feel more at ease when it comes to voicing their opinions if they know that they have the freedom and support to do so.”

6. They are open, honest, and transparent

In the words of Stephen M. R. Covey, trust expert and best-selling author of The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything, trust is the currency of the world today: not only do businesses need trust within their culture and for their bottom line, it’s the most in-demand leadership skill needed today – and essential in teams.

“Without trust, you’re merely a group of people working on a project together,” he said at the World Business Forum in Sydney in May.

Leaders should share information with their team rather than guarding it closely to their chest: to earn trust, you have to give it first, Covey said.

To earn their team’s trust, and to encourage a culture of honesty, bosses should talk straight and call things out for what they are, right wrongs, tackle existing problems head on, and keep their word, among other things.

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