If everything goes to plan, hopefully your business will reach a certain point of success and then you will need to start employing people. At this point, for the first time ever, you are no longer just the boss of yourself but for other people too. It can be difficult to get to grips with this at the beginning, so here are our Top 5 Tips for becoming a better boss:
1. It can be frustrating when things don’t get done in the way you wanted, but barking orders or throwing your weight around creates a lot of unnecessary drama and possibly some resentment on the part of your staff. If it is a general problem with all your staff continually misunderstanding you, try and consider whether you are explaining yourself well enough in the first place!
2. This may seem like an obvious thing to avoid, but it still happens. Distance yourself from office politics or any disagreements that occur between staff. Gossiping or taking sides is very unprofessional and you need to rise above it to be seen as the boss, only intervening if disciplinary action is required.
3. If you have a problem with a certain employee, this shouldn’t be public knowledge among the rest of the staff. Any problems should be kept private with that person – shaming them in front of the rest of the team is not the most productive way to make them improve their performance.
4. On a related note, any personal information that is shared to you in confidence by a member of staff needs to remain that way. If you reveal (either inadvertently or otherwise) confidential information about the health or home life of someone who confided in you, it will seriously damage your relationship with them.
5. Some days it might seem difficult, but you have to avoid letting your personal mood affect the way that you treat your employees. It’s great to be passionate about your business but you don’t want your staff to work under a dark cloud for the rest of the day / week every time you get a bit of bad news.
