People don’t leave jobs, they leave bosses. I think there is a lot of truth to this statement. Your relationship with your direct boss is the number one factor in your overall job satisfaction and productivity. I have been lucky to have some great bosses and have learned a lot from them. So what differentiates a great boss from the rest?
- A great boss has an optimistic outlook and inspires you to believe that you can accomplish anything.
- They focus on your strengths and complement your weaknesses. They are willing to take a chance on you.
- They give you credit for accomplishments and take blame for mistakes.
- They care about your well-being as an individual, not just an employee.
- They get out of the office and talk to you – and not only when they need something.
- They have a vision and passion for what they do that is contagious.
- They are not afraid to hire people who are smarter and more accomplished than them. As one of my ex-bosses once said, 9s hire 10s while 7s hire 6s.
Do you agree with this list? What other qualities would you add?
Good point!
This is so true. Every now an then I meet someone who left a company of 20,000 employees or more because they really didn’t like the “work culture”. After talking to them for a few minutes and getting a few more details, you realize that there was just one or at most two bad apples that ruined their experience at that company – one co-worker or one supervisor.
If you are in a similar situation and you work at a large company with many different departments, ask yourself whether it’s the company that you really dislike or that one person who makes your days at works miserable. If the latter is the case, consider transferring to another department before giving up on the company altogether. If it’s just one manager that you are trying to get away from, why not just do that instead of rushing to leave the company that you might otherwise be happy at.