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Sylvia Pennington reports on the characteristics of the perfect boss. How does your boss stack up? Or if you're the boss how do you stack up? The cheat sheet list is:
- Provides purpose
- Demonstrates vision
- Collaborates
- Sets clear expectations
- Provides a positive work environment
- Is even tempered and resilient
- Treats everyone fairly
- Provides recognition
- Are always learning
- Helps and mentors others
Read the full detail of the top 10 traits of the perfect boss here: http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/management/top-10-traits-of-the-perfect-boss-20120815-248md.html
Earlier this year Fortune magazine published it's annual list of the 100 best companies to work for in the U.S. Results are based on surveying employees. Sure, not all companies have jets or yachts to share with employees but there is still plenty to learn from reading the company snapshots.
The reasons these companies have been nominated as great places to work by those that work there are:
- Good rewards
- incentives, profit sharing, bonuses, above average pay for industry
- Strong and clear company mission
- Benefits
- health insurance, health programs, childcare facilities, generous leave, workplace flexibility, other perks
- Physical work environment
- food, access to services like dry cleaning, even walking tracks
- People
- considered recruitment efforts, long tenure of employees
- Culture
- recognition of excellence, adherance to, and evaluation based on values, fun incentives, games and events, happiness commitees, herograms, "no jerk" culture
- Feedback
- Staff suggestions implemented, feedback mechanisms and forums in place
- Visible leadership
- Leaders touching base with employees regularly or based on high performance of teams
- No layoffs
- The US has faced tough economic times recently. Many companies on this list avoided lay-offs
- Career paths
- Progression plans, internal promotion, investment in training and education
- Acknowledging role of families
- Inclusion of families in company events, acknowlegement of their contribution supporting employees
To see all the company snapshots go to: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/best-companies/2012/snapshots/1.html
Sydney Finkelstein, the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, published “Why Smart Executives Fail” 8 years ago. In it, he shared some of his research on what over 50 former high-flying companies – like Enron, Tyco, WorldCom, Rubbermaid, and Schwinn – did to become complete failures. It turns out that the senior executives at the companies all had 7 Habits in common. Finkelstein calls them the Seven Habits of Spectacularly Unsuccessful Executives.
via forbes.com
I'm not sure why a 2004 paper is being referrred to in a 2012 article, but hey, the insights still ring true. While the list outlines the 7 habits of unsuccesful executives it most probably applies to all bosses, leaders, supervisors, colleagues ... lets just say all people.
The habits mostly speak to inflexibility of some sort.These are the warning signs:
- Is over confidence at market position rife?
- Is the organisation too much part of personal identity?
- Are they quick to jump to solutions without consultation, discussion or thought to ramifications?
- Do they attempt to eliminate dissidents?
- Do they neglect oversight of operations in favour of maintaining public image?
- Are apparent obstacles being ignored?
- Are terms of reference limited to personal experiences only?
I have paraphrased the 7 habits here but do read the original copy. I especially enjoyed the warning signs.
The article offers some advice at the end -- if you can recognise these qualities in your CEO its time to leave. Bob Sutton recommends people move on as well when the signs are bad. I am waiting for someone to write about what to do if you want/need to stay.