June 10, 2006

What Type of Boss Are You?

Starting a small business presents a multitude of challenges that can stretch your natural abilities past your comfort zone, but no challenge is greater for most entrepreneurs than being a boss. You may have originally decided to go into business for yourself so that you didn't have to work for "the man" any more. You wanted the freedom to develop your own style and make your own decisions. That's why finding yourself becoming "the man" can create so many challenges.

If your employees had to describe your management style, what do you think they would say? Would they rate you as a good boss to work for or someone more akin to Ebenezer Scrooge? Understanding your management style can help you be a more effective leader in your company. See if you recognize yourself in the following archetypes:

The Control Freak: These bosses like to be involved in every last detail of their business. They do not trust their employees to make reasoned and informed judgments on their own and all decision-making is done by the boss. Although this behaviour usually stems from a desire to ensure accuracy and productivity, it frequently results in just the opposite. One person cannot juggle so many responsibilities without something falling through the cracks. Employees of this type of boss feel disconnected from their work and give up on taking ownership and being proactive. This feeds into this boss's contention that the only person that could possibly care about the company is the boss.

The "Warm Fuzzies" Boss: These bosses are concerned about people's feelings over all else. They will withhold constructive criticism and can end up praising bad behaviour in the hopes of making their employees feel valued. Employees of this type of boss can feel disoriented and unsure of their place in the company. They can sense when praise is undeserved and therefore the praise has no motivating effect.

The Consensus Building Boss: This type of boss operates the business from a team perspective. He or she knows that each employee brings different skills and perspectives to the table and encourages the employees to share their concerns and suggestions. This helps employees to feel empowered and valued. However, there is danger here if this type of boss spends more time trying to build unanimous consensus than in effectively leading the team. This behaviour can lead to the employees feeling as if the ship has no captain and this can erode the empowerment.

The Out of Control Boss: This type of boss doesn't have a good handle on the difference between what's reasonable and what's not. They tend to be so completely wrapped up in their own work that they spend no time or effort on managing staff effectively. This boss's words and actions convey to the employees that they are just a nuisance. These employees tend to say "Sorry to bother you, but…" frequently. Because of the disconnect between the company and the boss, he or she often sets unreasonable deadlines or expects unmanageable amounts of productivity from the employees. This can also be demotivating as employees feel they can't possibly win.

Of course, you won't find yourself perfectly matching any of these archetypes, but you may find yourself relating to pieces of one or more. The first step in managing your management style is to be aware of the type of boss you are. Reason through how your actions and style would motivate or demotivate your staff. What are you doing that enhances the effective operation of your company and what are you doing that hinders it? If you have more than one employee, you can prepare an anonymous survey to find out what your staff really think of your style. Although this "boss rating" can be scary, it can also be the most effective way to find out what you're doing right and wrong.

Being an effective boss not only improves morale and working conditions for everyone in your company, it also improves employee retention and productivity. It's well worth the effort to ask yourself the question, "What type of boss am I?".