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So, you want to be the boss?

In some work environments, boss is a four-letter word. “Demands on bosses are radically different than they were 10 years ago,” said Michael Merenda, professor of strategic management and chair of the management department at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics. “The demand on today’s leaders is a lot greater. With global competition, the threat of terrorism and the rapid rate of change, bosses are more challenged than ever to keep up with their field and stay connected with their workers.”
Workplace demands on bosses continue to shift in the direction of not just making management more responsible for the bottom-line profits, but in also knowing their market and assuming responsibility for the performance of their team - making the role of boss one of walking a thin, but not always coveted, line.

Jim Concelman, manager of leadership development at Development Dimensions International, a global human resources consulting firm, said new bosses have an opportunity to get things right from the start.

“Many new leaders are inheriting the bad feelings created by their predecessors and other less-than-competent bosses in the organization,” he said. “These pioneers have a chance to repair these attitudes and change the preconceived ideas that all bosses are bad, but it needs to be done quickly while the person is new to his or her leadership role.”

In a series of surveys and questions conducted by DDI and Badbossology (www.badbossology.com), a bad-boss resource site, workers have spoken out on what they think about their bosses and what they could be doing better.

According to the survey, every manager should know eight things as he or she takes on the job. Read on as we let you in on these tips, along with some advice from Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce President Tracey McGrail; staffing specialist Roy Aboody with Staffing Sense; Concelman with DDI; and UNH’s Professor Merenda.

You’re not really their friend anymore

Surveyed workers say their greatest hesitation about becoming the boss would be supervising their friends.

“This is uncomfortable because suddenly the boss can’t ignore a teammate’s weaknesses or poor performance, and harder still, many bosses are responsible for employees’ pay,” Concelman said.

The new manager has to hold his or her former peers accountable and treat the whole team equally - friend or not.

Merenda said part of what is happening in the workplace is that people are being promoted early in their career and are a lot younger than their predecessors. His advice is to be a close, caring and understanding leader without being a friend.

“Being a friend is what makes decisions hard down the road,” he said.

It’s not your jokes they’re laughing at

Bad breath, a bad “do” or nervous tick can serve as fodder for workplace gossip. New bosses need to be effective from day one to prevent being “Dilberted,” according to Concelman.

“Once you’ve been tagged as the pointy-haired boss, it takes a lot of time and effort to recover respect,” he said.

Merenda makes the point that with the speed that information - good or bad - can be distributed with instant messaging, e-mail or cell phones, one wrong move can easily make it around the office quickly.

Aboody said being the target of jokes sometimes just comes with the territory.

“You have to accept that. You are an easy target, and there are going to be times you should accept that. People can’t target a co-worker without causing tension, but the boss is fair game.”

Employees are wasting time

Employees love to complain about the boss. Nearly one-third of all employees spend at least 20 hours a month lamenting about the boss, which adds up to a lot of negative energy, the survey found.

“This is the kryptonite that sucks away a manager’s power and it can’t be ignored,” Concelman said.

It is best addressed head-on after identifying if it is truly a leadership issue, McGrail noted.

“I can admit that sometimes I might have a problem; otherwise, I just talk to people one-on-one to try and lessen the tension that can happen in an office setting.”

Remember: Poor performers complain the most, but their complaints can create a bad environment for everyone.

Consult before making changes

The majority of workers responded that the most important thing a new boss can do is ask them what they think should be different.

“Change can be uncomfortable, and with a new boss, it creates a lot of uncertainty; you don’t know where that boss is taking the organization and you don’t know how they evaluate people,” Merenda explained. “One way to lessen anxiety is to let people have a voice. The days of the command-control is over. These days, an organization needs to be more collaborative. Bosses (who) ignore that are going to have difficulty.”

It’s not about you looking good now

Sixty percent of employees say the most respectable quality in a boss is his or her ability to help them succeed.

“Effective leaders relinquish the spotlight and put others there instead,” Concelman said.

Said Merenda, “A boss’s job is to develop the future leaders in the organization. They bring in people with skills that the boss doesn’t have. A good boss will help bring those skills up, not take credit for them.”

Your team doesn’t share your goals

According to DDI’s 2005 Leadership Forecast research, bosses put the bottom line on the top of their priority list, while employees in the DDI/Badbossology survey rank it as the least of their worries.

There is a difference between being a boss and a leader, according to Merenda.

“A good leader has the ability to get a team to buy into a vision, and the team needs the confidence that there is a plan in place that will move the organization in that direction.”

Aboody said good bosses give employees room to grow.

“They aren’t threatened when a good idea doesn’t come from them. The more restrictions and controls you put on employees, the less you are going to get out of them. Don’t be afraid to give credit.”

Not feeling up to the task?

More than one in five workers surveyed said their greatest hesitation about becoming the boss is being perceived as incompetent, and nearly 25 percent said they would feel unprepared for the responsibility.

According McGrail, when she first took over at the chamber as president, she acted like a “boss.”

“Some might have even said I was the hardest boss they have ever had,” she said.

Nevertheless, as the years have passed, the longtime president has softened her approach, saying she now sees that helping people use their skills is the best way to get the most from the staff and create a positive work environment.

Employees who don’t like you will leave

There is no honeymoon period for new bosses. Workers won’t stick around once they realize they have a bad boss, with nearly half finding the door within six months. Ten percent said they would quit immediately, and 36 percent said they would give it three to six months.

“People vote with their feet, and if employees don’t feel valued by the new boss, they’ll quickly find someplace that will appreciate them,” Concelman said.