You're the Boss, Now What?
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Many times employees are promoted to management positions because they are great producers. Unfortunately, the skills needed to be a star employee, do not translate to being a great boss.
Linda Hill wrote an article in the Harvard Business Review titled, “Becoming the Boss.” She suggests, new bosses mistakenly think the road to success lies in ordering subordinates around. There is nothing further from the truth. Authority and leadership emerge as a result of the operation of time, the establishment of credibility, and the demonstration of character, competence, and influence. Hill suggests new bosses need to be armed with realistic expectations about supervision, and actively seek out opportunities for coaching and mentoring.
Lighter reading for a new boss may be a review of the submissions for the Internet contest sponsored by Heliotrope Books. The independent publisher is compiling psycho boss stories for inclusion into a new book titled, “Jobs of the Damned.” Rate Your Boss websites are another popular source for horror stories about workplace bullies and poor managers. Learn from their mistakes and do the opposite.
Watching Michael Scott at the helm of the Dunder Miflin Paper Company on the television show “The Office,” is yet another learning tool. Do exactly the opposite of Michael Scott and you may succeed in your new management role. Michael Scott describes his management philosophy as, “I'm friends with everybody in this office. We're all best friends. I love everybody here. But sometimes your best friends start coming into work late and start having dentist appointments that aren't dentist appointments, and that is when it's nice to let them know that you could beat them up.”
You’re the boss, not their friend. Your job is to create a successful team, maximize positive change, and assist employees to reach their peak performance. Your new role as a boss is, after all, about managing people.
