This document provides advice for managers on how to effectively lead their employees. It recommends that managers be open to input from employees, learn from their own past experiences as an employee, understand what motivates and demotivates their team members, and avoid micromanaging by trusting employees' skills and abilities. The document also stresses the importance of respecting employees' time, rewarding good performance, leading by example, and establishing proper boundaries in the boss-employee relationship.

2. BE OPEN TO INPUT.
Management often uses the phrase “we care about what you
think” as a throw-away feel-good phrase during meetings or
for new hires. Employees quickly learn whether or not that’s
true, and if it isn’t, they’ll feel disillusioned and bitter.

3. LEARN FROM YOUR OWN
BOSSES.
If you’re lucky and you made note of your frustrations or
positive reactions back when you were the employee, you
have great reference material to use. Otherwise, take the
time to imagine yourself then. Jot down the answers to
these questions:

4. WHAT MOTIVATED YOU?
WHAT DEMOTIVATED YOU?

5. WHY WERE YOU LOYAL TO SOME
BOSSES, AND NOT TO OTHERS?

6. WHAT DID BOSSES DO THAT
MADE YOU:

7. WHAT DID BOSSES DO THAT
MADE YOU: ANGRY?

8. WHAT DID BOSSES DO THAT
MADE YOU: FEARFUL?

9. WHAT DID BOSSES DO THAT
MADE YOU: STRESSED?

10. WHAT DID BOSSES DO THAT
MADE YOU: HAPPY?

11. WHAT DID BOSSES DO THAT
MADE YOU: EAGER TO WORK?

12. WHAT DID BOSSES DO THAT
MADE YOU: RELAXED & SAFE?

13. READ THROUGH WHAT YOU’VE WRITTEN.
ARE YOU GUILTY OF BAD BEHAVIOR? WHAT CAN YOU DO
TO CHANGE SO THAT YOU MIMIC THOSE GOOD BOSSES?

14. DON’T MISTAKE THE VALUE
OF BEING BLUNT.
The value of being a direct communicator cannot be oversold;
poor communication is the root
of far too many office problems and frustrations.

15. STOP MICROMANAGING.
TRUST INSTEAD.
Micromanagers need to understand a couple of things:

16. EMPLOYEES WON’T DO THINGS EXACTLY AS
YOU WOULD DO THEM. THAT’S KIND OF THE
POINT. TRUST THEIR SKILL AND SEE WHAT
HAPPENS.

17. YOU CAN’T EXPECT EMPLOYEES TO BLOSSOM
INTO THEIR OWN LEADERSHIP AND
CONFIDENCE IF YOU DEMAND TO RUBBER
STAMP THEIR EVERY MOVE.

18. UNDERSTAND THE
PERSONALITIES OF YOUR TEAM.
Some like brevity and bluntness, while others need you
to lead softly with positivity before launching into
correction.

19. DON’T WASTE YOUR
EMPLOYEES’ TIME.
Respect your employee’s time. They are trying to do a
good job, and get the work done. But bosses are often
guilty of wasting their time with meetings, unnecessary
paperwork, constantly changing routines, and other
distractions.

20. HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE YOUR MEETINGS
DON’T WASTE EMPLOYEES’ TIME?
ASK YOURSELF A FEW QUESTIONS:

21. IS IT NECESSARY?

22. IS IT THE RIGHT TIME?

23. WHO HAS TO BE THERE?

24. CAN WE STAND/WALK?

25. ARE WE ON TRACK?

26. DO TEAM-BUILDING EXERCISES
IN AND OUT OF THE OFFICE.
Have fun with your employees. Don’t relegate yourself to the
office Holiday party and call it good. Have periodic team and
creativity building exercises and meetings. Have regular
dinners where employees can socialize if they’d like.

27. REWARD YOUR EMPLOYEES
REGULARLY.
People are motivated by results, and they are also motivated
by the opportunity for reward. If you have an employee that is
doing a good job and has not received a raise since the day
they were hired, you have made a mistake.

28. BE THE PERSON YOU DEMAND
OF YOUR EMPLOYEES.
If you demand hard work, be a hard worker. If you
demand that employees come in on time, have positive
attitudes, treat their co-workers and customers well —
you had better be doing the same thing.

29. ESTABLISH A PROPER
RELATIONSHIP.
After all of this talk about how to be a great boss, it’s
important to remember who you are: the boss. Not a
friend. This is about boundaries and the fact that you will
have to make hard decisions in the future.

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