Do you think you’re a good boss?

Maybe you are…and maybe you’re not. Some small business owners don’t realize how unhappy their teams are until it’s too late.

Being a bad boss doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a raging, abusive terror, either. Bad bosses come in a variety of forms. Some bosses are discouraged, depressed and even so self-absorbed that they may forget to show their appreciation to a hard-working staff – which ends up discouraging that staff to make an effort. Some bosses are just plain apathetic, and that attitude carries over into the front lines of your business.

It’s natural to wonder whether you’re being the best boss you can be. Look for these signs that your management style could use a tune-up:

– Your turnover rate is high. If your business has experienced a high turnover rate, you may be sending good employees elsewhere. Why give up your smartest, best people to your competition? As much as it may sting, try to find out why your employees are unhappy.

– People call in sick regularly. The more often your team members call in sick, the likelier it is that they’re unhappy working in your company. The bottom line is, no one likes to be where they’re miserable. And while it might not be possible for all of your people to walk out today, calling out sick may be their way of maintaining sanity while looking for a better opportunity. (It could also indicate that they’re interviewing for other jobs.)

– You’re always the last to know. Employees don’t like to tell bad bosses about any problems. They try to work it out amongst themselves, letting the boss think all is well until problems spiral out of control. Do you find yourself stumbling across challenging issues in your small business, only to find they’ve been festering for weeks and nobody bothered to tell you? Your employees might not feel comfortable coming to you. How do you react in the face of bad news? Do you yell and stomp and look for someone to blame? No wonder nobody’s speaking up.

– Your employees fight a lot. Conflict at work may signal an unhealthy atmosphere – caused by poor communication or bad management. As the business owner, you’re the one responsible for setting the overall tone and creating company culture. Repeated employee conflicts are a reflection on you.

– Nobody disagrees with you. Rather than risk your anger, employees may simply tell you what you want to hear. You won’t know what’s really going on if you’re surrounded by yes-people. Besides, your employees are on the front lines of your business, and from that position, they have an invaluable perspective on your operation. There’s no one more foolish than an entrepreneur who doesn’t want to hear the truth from his or her employees. An honest assessment from an employee is a gold mine of information you can use to strengthen and rapidly grow your business.

So if you want to be a better boss, take an honest look at how your employees’ behaviors may be reflecting your own bad behaviors back to you. It could be one of the most valuable things you do for your small business all year.

Salim Omar, author of \”Straight Talk About Small Business Success In New Jersey\”, specializes in providing accounting, bookkeeping and tax services to small business owners and professional practices in NJ. Learn how Salim can help you drastically reduce your taxes at http://www.OmarGroupCPA.com

Salim Omar, author of \”Straight Talk About Small Business Success In New Jersey\”, specializes in providing accounting, bookkeeping and tax services to small business owners and professional practices in NJ. Learn how Salim can help you drastically reduce your taxes at http://www.OmarGroupCPA.com

Author Bio: Salim Omar, author of \”Straight Talk About Small Business Success In New Jersey\”, specializes in providing accounting, bookkeeping and tax services to small business owners and professional practices in NJ. Learn how Salim can help you drastically reduce your taxes at http://www.OmarGroupCPA.com

Category: Business
Keywords: