At all my business and entrepreneur conferences, I am always asked how to be a great boss. Namely, “how do I keep rock star executives and cultivate a world-class sales team?” And overall, I have three main strategies that have built the greatest workforce out there.
The best part is, you could do the same – starting today.
A Great Boss Does These 3 Things
You’d never know it now, but I almost never became a business owner. I was the top-producing sales guy. From that, I was reasonably successful and I liked it that way. However, due to some wild circumstances, I am here today with over 200 employees.
For this reason, I had to figure out how to be a great boss the hard way. Despite that, it is not as complicated as some would think. As long as you let these three principles guide you, you’ll end up with a rock-solid team.
Give your team the opportunity to be great and you will be too, as a consequence.
1. Have Meetings with Purpose
When many people first step into leadership roles, they try to “fake it ‘til they make it.” A prime example of this is scheduling a bunch of meetings just to look important. Contrary to what you may believe, this is counterproductive to being a great boss.
An effective leader must understand the value of time. Therefore, productivity in meetings is a must. Still, a productive meeting isn’t always about stats and strategy. Equally important is highlighting company wins. In fact, my entire enterprise starts every day going over the previous day’s successes.
Respect your team and your time by conducting meetings that matter. And in the meantime, implement Step 2:
2. Provide the Best-Performing Tools
Strong leaders know the difference between encouraging their team to hustle versus making them grind. That means setting them up to be productive with the best tools possible.
This looks different for each organization. But, don’t close the door on new software or technology like AI just because it is unfamiliar to you.
The ultimate great boss, Mark Cuban, even said this in a CNBC article about tools and success:
“There’s two types of companies: those who are great at AI and everybody else. And you don’t necessarily have to be great at AI to start a company, but at some point, you’re going to have to understand it. It’s just like the early days of PCs. You didn’t have to be good at PCs, but it helped. Then networks, then the internet, then mobile.”
So, investigate and be open to better ways of doing things. Add those to this next tip and you’ll be unstoppable.
3. Invest in Employee Advancement
As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t start my career as a boss at all – let alone, a great one. That being said, I taught others what I learned for them to, in turn, be stellar leaders.
Loyal, competent staff will always want to learn and do more. Training is the only way to keep giving them opportunities that keep them with you long term.
Seminars, conferences and virtual training are all solid choices. Pick one and watch your team become the best versions of themselves – and you both benefit.
Nonetheless, there is one last point I want to make: A great boss is fair, not “nice.”
Being a great boss does not mean coddling staff or allowing them to take advantage of you.
The reality is that if you let that type of behavior continue, it is a detriment to them, you, and the business’s well-being. Sometimes, being a good leader means letting people go so they can find the fit that’s right for them.
It’s not personal. It doesn’t mean you don’t like them. It’s just fair. After all, strength and success come from doing the greatest good for the majority.
Give your team the opportunity to be great and you will be too, as a consequence.
