Dream Boss

Understand the fine line between being the mentor and being the devil…….

It takes more than just patience to understand, motivate and mentor a team the right way. Here are a few ways how to cross that thin line and stand behind the intimidating table and still make a strong team:

1. Relationship with former peers – In the transition from being one of them to being their boss, you must communicate rightly that you need their support to make this work. Maintain the dignity of your new position but acknowledge your former peers’ role in making your success happen.

2. Define Roles – This will help keep misunderstandings at bay and save much energy and time. Begin by describing the job to your employees. Make them understand their basic responsibilities and how each one’s role is important for the team. Discover the key result areas (KRAs) of each members of your team and also of the team as a whole. Giving the right job to the right person will not only bring you better results but also allow the employees to sharpen their self-image as professionals.

3. Articulate expectations – Be one who can articulate expectations, meet goals and still not overburden the team. Make this a participative process. You can communicate to your team through discussions, group meetings, emails, etc. These will make the team feel that they have a say in the day-to-day activities. While you define the goals, the challenge is to steer the brainstorming in such a way that the definitions come from the people themselves. It should appear to them as if they are working towards something which they have set out for themselves. This will help increase their sense of ownership, making them perform better.

4. Delegate Work – Delegation is important to prevent yourself from being overburdened. It will groom your employees from being dependent to being independent. What one must remember is that while you delegate authority, the responsibility still remains with the boss.

5. Offer Your Feedback – The classic rule is to give positive feedback first and the negative one later. Never mince your words, a direct approach is always better. While you must give a pat on the back in public, its better to offer criticism in private. Negative feedback is crucial for individuals development. The choice of words play an important role, one must ensure the msg is conveyed without being offensive.

6. Learn to Listen – To be an effective listener one needs to suspend judgement in order to look at the matter in an objective light. As a leader, you must curb the desire to pre-empt the conversation in order to prove your point. Always allow the team to speak out first. It assures the team they will be heard before a decision is taken and will help them trust the final decision.

7. Set Examples – A boss must set benchmarks for her team. You simply take the responsibility of the delegated task not performed well. If YOU are not ready to follow a rule, rest assured that the others will follow suit. A good boss is one who is not over and above his team.

8. Cultivate Team Chemistry - Team Chemistry can be developed only when you work as a part of the team. Listening to the team, asking their inputs and constantly mentoring the team are some of the time-tested methods to develop chemistry. If a conflict within team arises and it is trivial, it is better to stay out of it as a boss. But, if it is big enough to affect the unity of the team, then you need to listen to both parties individually before you make a judgement.

Being the boss anywhere is lonely, but with a little effort you can make this climb easier, mentor new leaders on your way and yield better result along with your team.