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How to Become a Super Boss

Are you the type of boss that encourages a happy, positive workplace?

Your business is only as good as the people behind it. And while that includes you, it also involves your employees. Yet we all know that a disgruntled or unmotivated employee does little if nothing to enhance the forward progression of any business.

But how much of an employee’s work ethic and production level is innately a personal issue, and how much does it have to do with their boss?

When you hear of workplaces that experience a high turnover rate, you’ve got to wonder how much of it has to do with the actual job, or with the supervisors that staff has to deal with.

Half of all American employees have quit their jobs at some point throughout their careers as a direct result of having a terrible boss. Fifty-one percent of workplace supervisors admit they aren’t engaged in their job, and 14 percent profess to be zoned out at work for the majority of their shifts.

Twelve percent of workers in the country strongly feel that their direct managers help set the pace in the workplace, and help create a much more pleasant work environment. As a result, this same 12 percent is much more content when they go to work compared to those who have a boss that is completely disengaged and uninterested in making the workplace a positive one.

Forty percent of companies in the US report that loss of personnel is a big concern, and one of the top three challenges that HR departments face today is a high rate of turnover.

You can’t ignore numbers like these. Clearly, bosses play a huge role in keeping a workplace happy and productive, which in turn directly affects a business’s bottom line.

Here are a few tips to achieving “Super Boss” status to make your employees happy, and your business profitable.

Find the Right People

Google has this down pat. Employees with the California-based company say part of the reason why they love their jobs is because they work with co-workers that they consider “genius.”

Google has a unique ability to attract some of the best talent in the country. It can be tough to find good help these days, but there are ways in a which a business can appeal to the right people. The type of people that make good, productive employees are those with a solid work ethic, and those with integrity who are truthful and are known to keep their word. They’re willing to admit their flaws and mistakes, and take the steps necessary to improve upon them.

While the level of education and experience is important to a certain degree, it’s more the type of person that is critical. Having a certain amount of intellectual inquisitiveness coupled with the necessary amount of knowledge is what the ideal candidate should be like. The right people should enjoy the success they bring to a company and expect the learning curve that comes along with it.

Group of confident employees with documents looking aside outdoors

Happy employees are more conducive to making a business more successful.

A good boss knows how to spot these types of folks. While this ability might not necessarily come right away, it’s an acquired skill that should be honed in on as employees continue to come through the door.

Treat Employees as Peers, Not Inferiors

The idea of bosses as ‘superior’ to employees is so archaic. Maintaining this mentality is sure to alienate employees, and create a culture of hierarchy rather than mutual respect. Many companies are catching this drift, with an increasing number of businesses shifting away from a top-down approach and embracing a work culture based on peer-to-peer relations rather than bosses micro-managing their staff.

Europe has been a trailblazer in this department, where this trend is overwhelming. A hierarchical structure is actually becoming obsolete in these countries, and this effect is trickling over to North America and beyond.

Of course, it’s still important to keep things professional in order to avoid crossing the line between what’s appropriate and what’s not. Maintaining a level of professionalism will also ensure that your objectives are still in focus to help you reach your productivity goals.

Be a Mentor, Not Just a Boss

One critical way to gauge how prosperous you are as a boss is by the success of your staff. And a big part of their success stems from how they are made to feel in the workplace by their bosses.

Ask questions instead of always providing the answers, because that will teach your employees how to think deductively for themselves. It will also teach them the tricks of the trade behind your specific business, which will help with their leadership development within the organization.

Share your ideas and thoughts, which will help sharpen their skills and become more knowledgeable about how the business runs smoothly and profitably. At the end of the day, you want to be promoting an environment of stimulation and growth, rather than leaving your staff stagnant.

Create an Environment That Spawns High Morale

For years, Google has been consistently making lists for best places to work in the US, and for good reason. Aside from perks such as on-site doctors, gourmet cafeteria food, and extension of paid paternity leave, employees at Google are inspired by the fact that their work has a positive influence on the lives of millions. It doesn’t just stop there though, plenty of employees are a lot happier at work when they know that they can get financial help when it comes to things like budgeting and helping them with retiring. This is why a lot of companies will use things like these corporate group benefit plans to help keep their employees happy.

Employees not only need to collect a paycheck, they also need to know that they’re part of something real, and something that matters. They need to feel as if they are appreciated for the work they are doing and contributing to the company, and that they are respected among both management and fellow employees.

As a boss, you can generate this environment of high morale by communicating the positive effect that the work being done in the workplace is having on those who are using your products or services. Take the time to ensure that each employee is slotted for the right job that they are best suited for, and that they actually enjoy doing. Employees that love what they do are more apt to being highly productive and less likely to waste their time, and yours.

Many managers and bosses aim for financial success in work. But super bosses can achieve admirable accomplishments in business while helping their employees build their own successful careers.