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Article: Child Care Directors - Be Your Best Boss
Julie Bartkus
What can you learn from your best boss? And what can you learn from your worst boss? If you were to make a 2-column list right now that included the best qualities and worst qualities of the supervisors that you've had, what would be on your list?
Last week I started thinking about my all-time favorite supervisor. I thought about what made her so special to me and came up with a surprisingly short list of things that she actually did that made her so effective.
Let me first start out by sharing what she didn't do. Her name was Michele and she was not a real touchy feely type of person. She did not invest a lot of time playing team-building games, writing thank you notes or buying her staff gifts. She was not my best friend and she did not overly concern herself with my personal life.
What she did do was honestly communicate with me about my strengths and weaknesses. I remember one time while I was sitting at my desk and she approached me and said to me one-on-one: "You can't write. We need to help you write better." At first I was taken back but then I reflected on the times I struggled with basic memos. So although her direct and honest communication was tough to swallow at first - I was relieved to have the opportunity to improve this aspect of my performance.
She was also transparent with what she communicated with me. If there was an organizational change going on (and believe me -- there was non-stop change going on), she communicated what she could and would tell me what she could not share and most importantly WHY she could not divulge the details of certain information at that point in time.
She continuously reaffirmed her belief in me and shared her commitment as my supervisor to watch after my best interest. Not only did she speak those words but she acted on them through having one-on-one meetings with me and supporting me in front of our customers and her superiors. I remember one time being in a meeting and a director was raving mad. He was upset and yelling at me right in front of Michele. My heart sunk. Even in this low moment she reaffirmed her belief in me and helped us both to focus on solutions. Later my relationship with this "upset director" was transformed into a very positive and productive one. That's a whole other story I could share with you! I'll save it for another article.
She provided me with feedback often. This is a huge motivator for many employees. Often she would state how wonderful she thought I was and I knew by her actions that her words were not simply lip service. Her words were backed by concrete action and a positive energy that she projected. She also made sure I had in my possession a copy of our evaluation form so that I would know well in advance how my performance was being evaluated. It was amazing that every single performance evaluation form that she prepared for me never contained one single surprise. It was almost as if my evaluation form was a collaborative effort between the two of us.
She kept her commitments to me. My performance evaluations were completed when she said they would be. We had lunch on the days we agreed to have lunch together and she held our meeting time as sacred time for the two of us to touch base.
Through all of the things that she did to be such an effective supervisor I had an enormous amount of trust in her and a strong desire to be a part of the mission she was leading us to accomplish.
This week I encourage you to make a 2-column list and identify the things that your most effective supervisor did and then another with the things that your most ineffective supervisor did.
After your list is complete reread this article and see how many things your best or most effective supervisor has in common with Michele.
Then decide on your plan of action. What actions can you implement this week to become more like your most effective supervisor? That's the next list to make.
Julie Bartkus is a staff motivation expert and the creator of "The Staff Motivation and Retention System. She helps leaders of small to mid-sized teams create the positive and productive workplaces that they desire and deserve. Through her workshops, courses, coaching programs, and products, Julie shows her clients how to eliminate the destructive communication patterns (such as workplace GOSSIP) and mindsets that keep their teams stuck.
If staff motivation issues are draining you of your time and energy, visit: www.JulieBartkus.com or call 1.800.211.5671 for information on private coaching and on-site team and leadership retreats. Get your FREE CD on Staff Motivation by visiting www.JulieBartkus.com.
I believe that compliments go very far in the work places .And being honest in a special ,non hurtful way is the best wat to go with staff.
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