Be a Boss Everyone Loves

As a boss, what is the key to being loved by your employees? How do you define a “boss who is loved”? Perhaps you would say that a key indicator of bosses that are loved is that they are admired and respected by their subordinates.

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Admiration comes with respect, and respect is not only two-way, it is also earned. Therefore, to be a boss who is loved, start with putting yourself in your employees’ shoes. You need to give them respect and earn theirs. To earn their respect, start with acknowledging and delivering on their viewpoint – namely, what would they want from a boss?

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Narrowing down the scope of this question is a simple matter. Regardless of whether your subordinates are fresh-faced juniors or senior executives, they only seek three things from their bosses:

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• When they are unable to solve a problem, they will share it with you, looking for a solution
• They want you to have their backs
• They want you to help them gain more value

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Operating as a boss definitely needs you to do more than just fulfil these needs, but doing so provides the foundation for everything else that comes after. I wasn’t born into the working world with the role and responsibility of a boss. Working my way up from the bottom, I had these core needs, and I was fortunate to know outstanding bosses who could deliver on them and much more. They shaped my expectations of what a boss could be and helped me get to where I am today. I would be honoured to pay it forward with this Power Read.

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The Three Core Needs

Inspiring bosses are also teachers and talent nurturers. Instead of confidently offering solutions to employees facing difficult problems, consider pointing them in the right direction towards the solution. Let them accomplish it through their own efforts and merit, or guide them on their journey to the solution – it depends on the circumstance and the approach you favour. Nonetheless, a good boss will be a dependable one, whether they solve problems in a direct or indirect manner.

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This dependability can and should make itself known in other ways as well. Sometimes, your employees don’t need a solution, just to vent and let off some steam regarding their workload and stresses. Will you be there for them? When you let employees talk the stress out of their system, they will feel much better and consequently work better.