Manage Your Life

Monday, November 30, 2009

A Good Boss is Hard to Find (by Guest Blogger & Author, Karen Burns)

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First off all, I want to give kudos to Karen Burns for writing "The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl: Real-Life Career Advice You Can Actually Use". This book provides relevant, fun and practical advice for anyone at any level in their careers. I also like it because I don’t have to read it in any particular order, and I still get great tips that work for my non-sequitir brain. So pick up a copy, dive in, and have fun. With that being said, Karen has done me the honor of being a guest blogger on www.careercougar.com. Karen has provided some really great points on what makes a good boss...Enjoy!

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Have you noticed all the attention around a recent NYT article (Link to NYT Article) claiming women making better bosses than men? Over 300 comments!

Men, women. It’s all good. The real problem is that, in Working Girl’s not-so-humble opinion, too many of the commenters confuse “good boss” with “nice person.” We all love a manager who’s understanding about time off to stay home with a sick child, sure, but it takes more than that to be a good boss. In fact, it’s actually a lot harder to be a good boss than to be a nice person.

What makes a good boss? How about this, for starters:

· Good bosses make their expectations clear. When expectations change, it’s for rational reasons.

· Good bosses distribute the workload fairly, never favoring one employee over another.

· Good bosses schedule the workload sanely (i.e., no last-minute panics).

· Good bosses keep their promises. If you made a deal to get your first review after six months, then it happens in six months, without you having to remind or beg.

· Good bosses give you the tools you need to do your job and then leave you alone to do it.

· Good bosses help you achieve their career, and maybe even life, goals.

· Good bosses back you up. They may even go so far as to take the blame for your mistakes.

· Good bosses give you credit for your successes, and make sure others know about them, too.

· Good bosses know how to handle power with grace and humility.

· Good bosses set you up for success. They let you know how you’re doing. If there’s a problem, they help you fix it.

If your boss, man or woman, delivers on even some of these (let’s hope at least eight out of ten!), you’re pretty lucky.

Karen Burns
"The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl: Real-Life Career Advice You Can Actually Use"

Find it on Amazon:
The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl: Real-Life Career Advice You Can Actually Use
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