10 signs that you're a boss and not a leader
There are a lot of posts about the difference between a boss and a leader and all that stuff, but i want to post my own differences based on my real life experience.Â
Hopefully your manager is not like this, enjoy.
1. You never say "thanks"
A boss, not a leader, feels like you've been paid to do your job so there is no need to say "thanks", thats part of your working conditions, and well... thats stupid :-). As employee, we all know that we must do something, but there are two ways of doing it:
A. The one who gets the employee involved as he feels part of the greatest team in the world and feels like his work is unique
B. The way where the employee just do it because the boss says so and he's there for the money
Never saying "thanks" gets you a lot of B. People want to feel gratitude for what they do, and feel like they did something to the greatest team in the world.
2. You never say "Please"
The same again, employees are there to do their work, but we all are humans (well...) and we like to feel like it, not like some robot from the Jetson.
Remember, you need more AÂ and words like "Please" and "Thanks" are the one who'll help you.
3. You think "the employee must earn those stuff"
Ok i know, the employee must be first self motivated and shows a full engagement with the company, then you can motivate them too.
That's some of the most stupid thing i've ever heard (and i have a lot...), when you hire a person, you must trust him as the right person for the job and start your work as a manager and team motivation right the way. If that work is so hard to do, then you have a problem. It is that simple.
4. Theres no time for planing
Oh really? are you saving the world from an alien invasion? if no, then theres always time for planing, the problem is that not having a plan feels good to inexpert people.
For a plan you have to document a lot, test, get meetings and all those boring stuff that you, as the super boss you are, hate and can do all on your own in your head, so, there is no need of write it down, thats a time that can be used working, not "writing", right?
5. You never say the whole information
As you're saving the world from an alien invasion, theres no time to explain the whole ideas to your team, so, people will just know the necessary to do they slavery work, right?
Again, that's just stupid. When bosses do that, the employee doesn't know what is he doing, why is doing it, why is that important and why he needs to engage. So, the result of your clever idea is again, another B work, which means (come on kids, say it with me) NO ENGAGE.
6. No body exactly knows what you do
You're all the time saying your doing a lot of stuff, but as you're the one with the whole information all the time, no one is clear about what YOU, the super boss, do, and that makes people hates you a little more everyday.
People see a guy, that doesn't have manners (don't say thanks or please), doesn't or plan anything because theres never time (aliens are really close!) and just push em to work like horses. Again, lost of B.
7. You have like 1,000 projects unclosed together
Bad bosses feels like multi-tasking in projects is a great idea, i mean, you start 6 project at the time and then when all end you'll have 6 projects closed. Wow! that was fast! huh?
Eerm, no. Again, thats stupid. Multi-tasking is not a good idea in project management, why? because, you need to plan every single project with a timeline, gantt chart and sometimes even a pert chart, to handle times and dependencies. With multiple open projects, you cant handle time as a whole, and instead you just move tasks from time to time and "fix" in your multi-tasking world. But when time runs out, you'll left behind 6 unclosed projects, and a lot of wasted time.
8. You don't update your team
This is like point #5, but after the alien invasion project started together with the perfect pancake project (remember point #7) you give the minimum needed information to your team, and never say a word about it again unless is time to make another task.
Team needs to know "ok guys, this is done and is working as expected, good work" or "ok guys the client is happy, we did it".
Your team is more than just bad things and slavery task, needs also good feedback of a project, to motivate them and convert those B's into A's.
9. You never say "good work", "well done" or those things
Yes, "those things" like motivation words, are stupid to you, because if you say it people will stop working, right? right?! ...
You need more A's, remember that.
10. You're mad because people in your team makes fun about leaving the company or getting another work.
Well, you earned it, you have a lot of B's in your team that just goes there to do their work and leave. Don't blame them, blame you, because you are too busy saving the world from the aliens that you forgot some BASICÂ management stuff.
That's it for now, i have a lot more in my head but i don't want this post to be larger than this, so, wait for part 2 some day!