Are you a GREAT Boss? Updated research from my GREAT Boss Assessment shows leaders around the world have some work to do to be effective servant leaders.
In my ebook, Be a GREAT Boss (available free to my subscribers), I describe the five characteristics of effective leaders. GREAT bosses:
- Inspire Growth
- Honor Relationships
- Inspire Excellence
- Ensure Accountability
- Spur Teamwork
How well do today’s leaders demonstrate these characteristics? Recent contributions to my free online Great Boss Assessment indicate that some leaders do model these best practices. According to over 4,000 global respondents, though, too many leaders don’t embrace them. The attached infographic highlights some of the areas of concern.
As of today, only 45 percent of respondents say their boss inspires their best efforts each day. 58 percent say their boss treats them with trust and respect daily, which means 42 percent of bosses treat team members with distrust and disrespect.
44 percent report that their boss holds team members accountable for performance. Only 32 percent say their boss holds team members accountable for workplace values and behaviors!
37 percent report that their boss doesn’t let team issues fester – that their boss promptly facilitates problem solving to address issues. That means 63 percent of bosses do little to nothing to resolve team issues.
How many of these global respondents said their boss has formally defined their team (or company’s) organizational constitution – specifying the team’s present day servant purpose, values and behaviors, strategies, and goals? 41 percent. That’s better than the rating of only 35 percent three years ago – but it still falls short of the best practices required of GREAT bosses.
What are the benefits of having a GREAT boss – or of being a GREAT boss? I’ve got proof: GREAT bosses generate huge gains – 40 percent and more – in employee engagement and customer service. Results and profits increase by 35 percent, all within 18 months of embracing these effective practices.
Why don’t leaders naturally inspire growth, value relationships, boost performance, demand civility, or require accountability for commitments? They may not know how. Most leaders have never been asked to do anything beyond managing results. It’s all they know. It’s all their bosses did – and do, today.
The proven practices – the specific “how to’s” – are easy to discover. They’re spelled out in my Great Boss Assessment.
I coach leaders who wish to create powerful, positive, productive work environments to embrace the five characteristics of GREAT bosses. It doesn’t require much. Leaders simply need to learn what each of these best practices requires of them – in everyday interactions with team leaders and team members – then demonstrate those behaviors consistently. It’ll take intention and attention to make these shifts.
We need a servant leadership revolution, in all corners of the globe, in all aspects of society. You can help by sharing the five characteristics of GREAT bosses (use the #GREATBosses hashtag so we all can support your efforts). Share the infographic. Better yet, be a model of GREAT boss behaviors yourself – even if you’re not a formal leader.
How GREAT a boss do you have? To what degree do bosses in your organization model these “GREAT” practices? Share your insights on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Infographic copyright © S. Chris Edmonds, The Purposeful Culture Group. All rights reserved. Share at will!
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