In today’s corporate setup, being an ideal boss is a rare occurrence; most of the examples we get to hear are of bad bosses. In many organizations, people resign due to the behavior of their seniors or “bosses”, which costs the company. Therefore, it becomes necessary for management to encourage seniors to focus on a few behavioral attributes.

Bad Boss culture affects the overall productivity of all the employees. Also, it discourages most employees from being open and communicating directly. Many times, as a result of this culture, employees always are fallen prey to the “them” vs “boss” presumption, and their interaction is hampered. To avoid these situations, Deandra has mentioned a few guidelines in her article “18 Attributes to Become an ideal boss”.

A great boss needs to have a clear vision; as Jonathan Swift has said, 'Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.’ Being one of the key leadership attributes, having a clear vision will let any boss communicate effectively about what he/she wants from his/her team. This will avoid any confusion and miscommunication within the team.

Only having a clear vision will not suffice; knowing how to execute the vision makes a senior or manager an ideal boss. He/she can communicate the vision via various forums such as group meetings or one-on-one discussions with staff. By having such discussions, one can share exactly what must be accomplished; this is done by clarifying the expectations. An ideal boss also tracks the progress of his/her team and shows an interest in improving. 

In the process of achieving the combined goals, an ideal boss has to make some vital decisions for the group’s progress. Delay in decision-making or delegating it to the other members without taking responsibility reflects an attribute of a poor boss. An ideal boss is the decisive one who can make decisions without being a victim of ‘analysis paralysis.’ This does not mean one can decide hastily, but taking responsibility for poor or bad decisions is an attribute of an ideal boss.

After any decision is taken by the boss, he/she requires the whole team to work towards it. Deandra further mentions another important attribute of an ideal boss, which is being open to discussing the employees’ issues. When a boss represents an open culture, a comfortable work environment is encouraged for all the employees. This results in overall increased productivity.

When an employee works under a senior, he/she really appreciates genuine mentoring and coaching, which an ideal boss can provide through a constant feedback system. The employee feels that he/she receives constructive feedback on the progress, individually and for the group as a whole. 

Sir A. P. J. Abdul Kalam had a philosophy about a true leader, one who takes responsibility for the failure of his/her team but allows the team to take credit for the success. To add to this thought, Deandra mentions that most employees prefer those bosses who give them the due credit for a project or a task. Also, the one who cares for the staff’s well-being is considered a “good” boss. This includes providing safe working conditions, enabling career growth, and monetary rewards such as pay raises and bonuses. 

An ideal boss respects juniors, as disrespectful bosses are considered unhealthy for any organization. Yelling, shouting, bullying, blaming, etc., are a few ways a boss can disrespect subordinates. Good bosses earn respect from their employees by doing the right things, such as holding employees accountable for their job, appreciating and praising subordinates, caring for staff, listening attentively, being available, and having empathy, delegation, and trust.

An ideal boss encourages and promotes fun-oriented work culture. ‍He/she tries to make every team member comfortable by introducing a healthy competitive environment. When a supervisor shares real-life struggles and how they process life issues, it humanizes their relationship and serves as a life mentor for employees. It also gives the employee a lens into the personal life of their boss.

‍One of the major concerns for an employee to leave the company is the lack of autonomy while working. An ideal boss lets the employees take charge and make some decisions on their own. This results in a much more responsible work environment, where every employee works towards the same achievement goal.

For anyone to stay motivated for doing good work, recognition and appreciation are required. That is the reason, appraisal systems and award ceremonies are a constant occurrence in any organization. An ideal boss sees to this fact that all the employees are recognized and appraised from time to time. Deandra mentions the one big mistake a senior can commit while working in a team is “micromanagement”. A “bad” boss always has trust issues, and that is the reason he/she compulsively starts micromanaging, it is understood in any critical deadline situation. But making it a habit and doing this constantly will surely give an impression of a “bad” boss.

As mentioned in the article published on matchbuilt.com, there are a few other attributes of an ideal or “good” boss. According to them, an ideal boss must be one who can resolve conflicts effectively and quickly. He/she should be high on emotional intelligence, which means a person is aware of the emotional side of the employees working under him/her. An ideal boss is one who presents leadership values to the team by showing empathy and care, constant support, and encouragement.

A few more points are mentioned in the article by Linda Pophal, “6 signs you’ve got a good boss” which emphasizes an “intellectually honest” boss. These bosses are transparent with all the members, they generally avoid sugarcoating by being honest and reciprocating. An ideal leader is one who is self-aware, which means knowing the strengths and weaknesses of own and team members as well. 

In summary, we can say that being an ideal boss is much more challenging than being a bad one. The challenges in this come from own personality, not every time a person can remain composed and calm. There will be situations when impatience will take over patience, but one can keep the right balance between mentoring and managing to be called an “ideal” boss.

• Deandra - 24 Feb. 2023 - “18 Attributes of an Ideal Boss” - https://www.peoplehum.com/blog/what-can-an-ideal-boss-look-like
• Business News Daily, Linda Pophal – 22 Feb. 2023 – “6 Signs You’ve got a Good Boss” - https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/3734-qualities-good-boss.html
• MatchBuilt.com – “25 Qualities of a Good Boss” - https://matchbuilt.com/blog/qualities-of-a-good-boss/