Good vs. bad bosses: What employees really want

No manager was born in his/her role as a leading character in a company. Many of them started as employees with fewer responsibilities. Therefore it is important for them to remember where they started and what they expected from their own managers. So, let us have a look at what exactly employees want from their work experiences.

Old vs. new perspective

The prevalent thinking about rewarding employees up until about 25 years ago was to motivate them using the tools at the bottom levels of Maslow’s hierarchy. These are physiological needs including basic needs such as food or shelter and security needs such as job security. The thinking was that as long as the employee was paid adequately, had decent benefits and reasonable job security, then that would be enough. That mode of motivating is no longer suitable. Today’s employees want far more out of their work and from their leaders.

Employers want leadership attention

A McKinsey Quarterly survey in June 2009, found the following results. “The respondents view three noncash motivators – praise from immediate managers, leadership attention (for example, one-on-one conversations), and a chance to lead projects or task forces – as no less or even more effective motivators than the three highest-rated financial incentives: cash bonuses, increased base pay, and stock or stock options.”

This may come as a surprise to some managers, but not to the leaders. Leaders already know this and have been using these tools as motivators for years. This type of leadership style requires excellent communication and interpersonal skills. The smart and effective leader is honing those skills constantly.

Trust

Trust is an important component of leadership and the workplace environment. More is being written about establishing relationships of trust in the workplace. Here are some ideas based on the work of Cloke & Goldsmith (2005):

• Show respect
• Be consistent and reliable in your actions generally, and how you treat others
• Recognize that trust requires time and patience
• Acknowledge your mistakes
• Be honest about current challenges
• Try to be flexible and creative when problem solving

Remember that once trust is broken in a relationship, it can be extremely difficult to fix. Be proactive about acting to maintain trust.

Good vs. bad bosses

Another article summarizes how employees view their bosses. In it, the employees described a good boss as: accessible, supportive, in tune with employees and responsive. While a bad boss was: elitist, condescending, inconsistent and dismissive.

What’s interesting is that every age group wants to see these good factors in their leaders and supervisors. These then are descriptors which form the template for action for the good manager.

If you want to learn more about the relationship between employees and managers read “Management Basics” written by Susan Quinn.

Download the free eBook “Management Basics”