Expert: Follow these 7 tips to be a great boss, keep employees engaged
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ARLINGTON, Va. — Good bosses manage projects and supervise employees, but great bosses bring out the best in their staff and create an engaging, healthy work environment, according to a speaker at GI Outlook.
“Gallup defines engagement as employees who work with passion, feel a profound connection, drive innovation and move the organization forward,” Allison Linney, MBA, founder and president of consulting firm Allison Partners in Charlottesville, Va., said. “Actively disengaged employees are pretty stressful: They’re very unhappy and they’re actively working to make you unhappy. They’re the folks who just make everything complicated for everyone.”
Linney cited recent Gallup research that reported U.S. employee engagement trends have been steadily declining from 36% in 2020 to 34% in 2021 and hitting 32% in early 2022, which equates to lost productivity of nearly $483 billion annually.
According to Linney, the main goal of a great boss is to re-engage those who are not engaged, continue to engage those who are and prevent employees from slipping into the ‘actively disengaged’ category.
“A boss manages projects and supervises people, especially when it’s not easy,” Linney said. “But in my world, it’s multifaceted — it’s being a juggler, a protector, even a superhero. I do understand you have a thousand other things going on, and often management of the humans and their work falls to the bottom of the list.”
Bosses face many real-world challenges and keeping up with it all can sometimes feel impossible, she continued. To alleviate some of the guess work, Linney shared her curated list of seven insights for being a great boss and keeping your employees engaged.
No. 1: A great boss provides context
According to Linney, a great boss provides context, so each employee knows what is happening in the organization and how they are relevant to the organization’s goals. It matters to people to know how they fit and how their job drives day-to-day function.
“You mustn’t assume that because they interviewed, read the job description and get a paycheck that they can figure out [their relevancy and role] themselves, so it’s incredibly important for you to provide context,” she said.
Feeling valued improves work and employee engagement which, in turn, benefits the organization.
No. 2: A great boss sets measurable goals
Even the best employees aren’t mind readers and as such, it is important to articulate what you expect of them.
“Believe it or not, people do want to achieve things,” Linney said. “But a lot of times it’s hard to know what you’re supposed to achieve.”
A great boss should set goals in a way that can be measured, followed and, subsequently, praised once achieved. Linney noted that a great boss’ goals for themselves and their employees should be ‘SMART’ — specific, measurable, agreed, realistic and timed.
No. 3: A great boss balances undermanagement and micromanagement
According to Linney, recent trends in management have resulted in an “undermanagement epidemic” where new bosses are opting for a more hands-off approach to overcorrect what they have dealt with in the past: the micromanager.
While constant interference can make your employees feel incompetent and not in control, a hands-off approach can quickly become just as frustrating and lead to a once-engaged employee disengaging from the job and the organization.
“A great boss is as particular as Goldilocks,” Linney said. “She avoids the pitfalls of under-management while remaining alert to the signs of micromanagement. I don’t want you to be [a micromanager], but I do want you to be actively involved, checking in with people and asking them how it’s going.”
No. 4: A great boss makes tough choices
As a boss, you are assuming the responsibility of leading, advocating and making decisions for your employees. You make choices, follow through and don’t let things linger. Most importantly, bosses take a proactive approach without adopting a victim’s mentality.
“For some of us, deciding is hard because we either don’t know what to do or we think we need to gather more information,” she said. “But in general, we really need bosses to be making good choices, communicating those choices and, in turn, living with and helping us live with the consequences of those choices.”
Employees may not like the choice — especially in the case of addressing underperforming employees or making an unpopular decision — but they generally prefer the clarity it brings.
No. 5: A great boss prevents anonymity
While the main purpose of going to work is to get a job done, employees want to feel like they are more than just another cog in the machine. Having a friend or someone who genuinely cares can go a long way in keeping employees engaged.
“A great boss knows their people, demonstrates interest, has curiosity and empathy about who they are, all while keeping appropriate professional and personal boundaries,” Linney said. “It’s okay to show genuine interest and, even if you can’t, fake it — sometimes being a great boss is about faking a little bit of interest.”
No. 6: A great boss invites input and feedback
A great boss knows that a little input from employees can go a long way and provide a more well-rounded view of the big picture.
“Wherever you can get employee input, you’ll make a better decision,” Linney said. “You will get an idea of how what you are thinking about doing will land — even if you do something they don’t want. It always increases engagement.”
A great boss listens, pays attention to body language, stays focused during conversation and asks clarifying questions. Linney noted, however, that it is important to remember that this is not a democracy, and you can’t please everyone.
At the end of the day, the tough decisions come down to the boss.
No. 7: A great boss tailors their management strategy to each employee
For this piece of advice, Linney strayed from the golden rule and introduced the platinum rule, which states, “Do unto others as they’d like done unto them.”
Sometimes, same isn’t fair and employees may value a different form of management, she said. Consider each unique personality, ask questions to customize your approach and offer special treatment when necessary.
“Whatever way that you know how to figure out differences in people, start looking for them and see if you can meet people where they are,” Linney said. “It’s a balancing act, because there are certain things people have to do that you need them to do, but then there are ways they might do them that you can be flexible about.”
Secret to success = scheduled time
As impossible as it may seem, the secret to implementing these tips, improving performance and keeping employees engaged relies on scheduling one-on-one time with them — specifically, 15 minutes once a week.
During this time, listen and talk about their work, clarify priorities, reinforce procedures, provide resources and share feedback.
“It is the weekly regularity that really gets to changing everything at work: getting more productivity out of people, dealing with the performance issues, making them feel engaged and wanting to stay with you forever,” Linney said.
Reference:
- U.S. employee engagement slump continues. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/391922/employee-engagement-slump-continues.aspx. Published April 25, 2022. Accessed Aug. 14, 2022.
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Linney A. The art of being a great boss. Presented at: GI Outlook; Aug. 13-14, 2022; Arlington, Va.
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