Hero or Horrible Boss?

“You (boss) volunteered to be a leader (accepted promotion) hence you volunteered to be a full-time “people developer.” Don’t like it? Fire yourself.”

Tom Peters

I’ve Been Thinking . . . about the incredible responsibility of being a leader.

In their book The Manager’s Communication Handbook, the authors share these disturbing findings: First, only 14% of employees said they had a positive role model at work. Also, 86% couldn’t identify even one person at work they wanted to emulate. How sad! Especially considering these attitudes are a direct hit on leaders.

The film comedy Horrible Bosses features three dreadful managers who make their employee’s lives miserable. The targeted victims can’t quit. They need the money. In their desperation, they devise elaborate, absurd plans to eliminate their tyrannical bosses.

The movie is an exaggerated (I hope) display of calloused, uncaring, self-indulging, and controlling scenarios that exemplify the potential destruction caused by horrible bosses. People caught in the harrowing grip of such leaders must be the ones who can’t find a role model at work or identify someone they want to emulate.

In the movie, the three friends bond together and the despicable bosses ultimately cause their own destruction. In real life, the plot is rarely as dramatic or entertaining… or ‘happy ever after.’

Here’s how not to be a horrible boss:

Develop People One At A Time. John Maxwell reminds us, “Never forget that leadership is the art of helping people change from who they’re thought to be to who they ought to be.” People-focused leaders invest their time, energy, and resources into developing people into all they are capable of becoming.

I know you’re busy and have a lot on your plate but unless you invest in your people the rest of your activity loses result power. Develop the skills, knowledge, and talents of your people and impressive results will follow. Figure out what you can do through training, coaching, and mentoring to help your people achieve what they are capable of achieving.

Who should you be investing in today?

Maximize Individual Strengths. Author Stephen Covey suggested, “The job of a leader is to build a complementary team, where every strength is made effective and each weakness is made irrelevant.”

Unlike horrible bosses who are renowned for accentuating everything that’s wrong, great bosses understand people’s greatest potential is achieved by maximizing what they’re already good at doing. Find out what comes naturally to your team members and discover opportunities for them to excel.

Take the talents people possess and design opportunities around them. Don’t try to push a strategy on a person that doesn’t effectively use their strengths. Strategically discovering avenues for people to apply what they do best is a fast track for developing high performers.

Nurture a People-Focused Culture. Great leaders create a great people-focused culture that produces great people results. Gary Kelly, Chairman, President and CEO of Southwest Airlines said in the company’s September 2011 issue of Spirit that “The biggest difference between Southwest and the rest was the attention to Culture. Your business plan is what you are, but Culture is who you are.”

At Southwest, culture is a way of life. It is lovingly referred to as “Living the Southwest Way.” Southwest is intent on hiring people who have a Warrior Spirit, a Servant’s Heart, and a Fun-LUVing Attitude.

“Living the Southwest Way” or any other culture begins with the leader’s unmovable passion to set the standard. A people-focused culture evolves out of a leader’s inherent respect for people and a desire for people to truly be the priority.

Be a Hero. Every leader has someone who is yearning to find a leader who believes in them more than they believe in themselves. Find that person. Be that leader.

Before giving up on a challenged team member, pour your full effort into them. Inject some confidence. Reassure them that you believe they can excel and you’re there to help them get to where they want to go.

Sometimes you’re successful. Sometimes not. Give it your best shot. Sometimes, the victory is just knowing you tried.

When you’re successful . . . you’ll be a hero and you will have gained a team member prepared to perform at new heights.

Serve. Serve. Serve. The higher you rise, the greater your opportunity to serve and the greater your responsibility to find ways to encourage, elevate and energize those around you.

Finding ways to let people know how important you are and the importance of your position minimizes your influence. When you consistently allow others to enjoy the spotlight or you actually create the spotlight for them, your impact is multiplied.
Assume a servant role in all matters, treating others as the most important people in your life.

In their book The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner write, “Any leadership practice that increases another’s sense of self-confidence, self-determination, and personal effectiveness makes that person more powerful and greatly enhances the possibility of success.”

That’s the power of Servant Leadership!

The strategies to become a hero rather than a horrible boss are rather simplistic – but profound!

One day a little boy approached Walt Disney and asked, “Do you draw Mickey Mouse?”

Walt humbly admitted, “I don’t draw anymore.”

The little boy continued, “Then you think up all the jokes and ideas?”

“No,” Disney responded, “I don’t do that.”

Quizzically the boy looked at Disney and said, “Mr. Disney, just what do you do?

“Well,” Disney graciously responded, “sometimes I think of myself as a little bee, I go from one area of the studio to another and gather pollen and sort of stimulate everybody. I guess that’s the job I do.”

Hero bosses nurture everyone around them by stimulating and extracting the best that is available.

People go to work to succeed not to fail. It’s the leader’s duty and responsibility to lead people to success.

Norman Schwarzkopf