By Nick Howes, Master Licensee of LMI UK
If you are someone’s direct manager then, whether you like it or not, you are one of the most important and influential people in that person’s life!
It’s a familiar story. You’re getting along with doing your job, you care about doing it well and you’re getting good results. Then you’re recommended for promotion which you accept gladly and suddenly, without having really thought through the implications, YOU’RE A MANAGER!
Or perhaps you’re an entrepreneur. You set up your own business and started making some progress. You developed good products and services and gained some great clients, more than you could look after yourself, so you started hiring people into your business and suddenly, without having really thought through the implications, YOU’RE A MANAGER!
However you came to be in this situation, and however long you’ve been there, the fact remains that being someone’s boss in the workplace is a huge responsibility and it’s far more than simply getting them to perform well so that results are up to standard.
Think about the best bosses you’ve ever had. Or perhaps the best teacher you had at school.
Typically these people had a tremendous positive impact on you as a person. They inspired you and helped you become more confident. They took a genuine interest in your wellbeing and imparted some belief in you that helped to you achieve more than you realised you were capable of. Perhaps most importantly of all, they made every day more enjoyable and fulfilling. Life was better!
Interestingly, the outcome of working with these kind of bosses, or teachers, is almost always better results too!
We can easily flip the story to the opposite kind of boss or teacher and the negative impact that has, with the resulting stress, frustration, unhappiness, stunted development, lack of confidence and poorer results.
A 2023 Forbes article highlighted that managers have a greater impact on their employees’ mental health than their therapists or doctors, and equal to their partners.
Reading such information could easily leave us with an overwhelming sense of fear and dread.
What if I’m one of the bad managers?
How do I know if the influence I have over my reports is hindering rather than helping them?
There is great news! Being a ‘good boss’ is a combination of skills and attitudes, all of which can be developed, over time, with positive intent, learning and consistent practice. Wherever you stand now, if you desire to use your power as a manager to serve, to encourage, to develop and to inspire, you are in a great place to begin, and the impact you will have on those you lead may be nothing short of life-changing!