Thursday, October 16 is Bosses Day—a day for celebrating our workplace leaders.
If you are the boss, it may be time for a checkup to gauge the health and effectiveness of your management style.
Some questions to ask yourself, as listed by the National Federation of Independent Business:
- Have you ever berated an employee in public?
- Have you ever taken credit for something an employee did?
- Are your employees afraid of you?
- Are you a "no excuses allowed" type?
- Do you expect employees to "know" or to "do" without telling them?
- Do you yell or shout at employees?
- Have you ever tried to belittle or humiliate an employee as punishment?
- Do you "lean on" or make it more difficult for someone who has displeased you?
- Do you play favorites?
- Do you constantly check everyone's work for quality?
- Are you reluctant to let employees make decisions?
- Do you expect employees to do what you ask without question?
To this list, I would add a few for 2008:
- Have you addressed employees' fears about the current economy?
- Are you encouraging employees to enjoy their weekends and evenings, or are you making it difficult for them to relax?
- If you need extra effort and time from your workers, are you explaining exactly why and how it benefits and stabilizes the company?
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