Gone are the days of authoritative and impolite bossism of 70s and 90s. In 21st Century if you want to be accepted and appreciated by your employees you need to put extra effort. No one likes a rude boss or leader or one who doesn't care and listen to. Your team would be attracted to you if you show a little kindness.
Respect: The most important is giving respect. The trade of respect is well defined by nature. You will get respect only, when you give it. Respect people for what they do. Doesn't matter what level they are, they are doing their best in their abilities to perform for whatever job is assigned to them. By showing a little respect to all you deal with, you command unfathomable power, which makes you the real leader.
Lead: Everything rises and falls on leadership so if you're going to create that atmosphere of kindness in your company, your acts of kindness should be seen and not just heard. Try to avoid jokes you know people would get sensitive to, jokes about things like gender, religion and politics would offend a section of the team, you don't want to burn your bridges before you're even midway.
Accept criticism: You may not be right all the time, it's possible that while handling management and other responsibilities in your work you may miss it at some point. So you should welcome criticism.
To be a favourite boss and leader it is important to understand the importance of other people's thoughts and adopt the ability to shift our preconceived notions to the side so we can offer acceptance in response to their thoughts even if they are against us. It is an imperative step in the direction of becoming a leader
Encourage learning: Make it clear that you understand that very few people get it right on their first day or week or month and that you're ready to work with them so they can improve. Try to avoid fatal mistakes by delegating key tasks to proven employees but also get others going for the low hanging fruits so they can build on their confidence.
Promote workplace friendships: If you're that boss that's improving relationships in the office, people would love you. But workplace friendships can get toxic without control, so you shouldn't get it wrong at the beginning.
Pair people with overlapping skills. So if you need work done on your website, don't pair two people with huge egos. Treat every member of your team equally, so these partnerships should be a way to help those lacking in specific skills. And again don't force it, if it's not working, try reshuffling, it's okay to tweak things until you get it right.
Don't put them in the spot: Try to avoid public criticism as much as you can. Work with employees that are not taking the right decisions, help them improve delivery at work. Putting any of your employees on the spot can force them into trying to prove you wrong. And sometimes they try too hard and make more mistakes.
Don't force it: Everyone hates forced friendships because most of them don't just work out. Yes, you should be kind to your employees but if it doesn't flow naturally, it'll be rebuffed. Being professional and exhibiting leadership should be your stance in the early days of this relationship building. Remember it's not your job to be the cool boss but a good relationship with your staff rubs off on your company
Be honest and humble: Don't make promises you can't keep. Employees may have different views on the path they think the company should do but it's up to you to ensure you don't raise their hopes unnecessarily. If there are answers you need to think about, do that, you should be in a composed state when chatting.
The writer is Achal Sharma, International Life Coach & Social Scientist
