I have the pleasure of speaking with talented people every day. We discuss their career goals and future plans. In my work as an executive recruiter, most of the people I speak with daily are fully employed and considering options about furthering their careers. They have the benefit of searching for their next job from the security of their current one.
Candidates freely discuss what they desire in their next job regarding the role, title, compensation, commute and size of the company. They seldom discuss what they want to find in their next boss. When they do, it’s often in the context of avoiding a bad boss because of prior experience. Most of us have ready thoughts and opinions on what makes a bad boss. Fewer of us are ready to discuss what makes a good boss, especially, what would make a good boss for the next phase of our career.
Identifying what makes a good boss involves assessing who you are as an employee and who you aspire to be. Whether you want to maximize your personal potential in the work you do, or you someday want to be a boss, it is useful to think about what your current boss can do to help you realize the future you desire.
Here are three thoughts on choosing the right boss.
1. Personal Inventory
Who are you? What kind of worker are you? What kind of subordinate are you? What do you know? What don’t you know? What do you need from your boss?
Early in our work lives we need a manager. A manager sets expectations for work performance, teaches and trains basic job skills, and literally tells us what to do. A good manager also recognizes our strengths, our weaknesses, our gaps in learning and our potential. A manager rewards us with more hours, better shifts, more responsibility, promotions and increased compensation. A manager also corrects us when needed.
As you develop sharper work skills and consistently deliver good work product, your manager can also help you develop better personal skills. From creating and delivering presentations to understanding the financial performance of the business to effectively communicating our ideas, the right boss will willingly teach you all they know.
As you prepare for your annual review and a discussion about your past performance, also prepare yourself to discuss your future with your boss. What skills do you need to master? What additional training or education do you need to get to the next desired step in your career? What can your boss do to help you acquire those skills?
2. Moving On
The best boss I ever had eventually told me I was ready for a bigger job, and since I wasn’t getting hers, she needed to kick me out of the nest.
The right boss wants you to grow and develop, then move up or leave. The right boss is not resentful when it is time for you to leave the business unit or the company. The best boss will advocate for your advancement and increased opportunities. The best boss will refer you to recruiters and other business leaders who may have a terrific opportunity for you.
Once we no longer need a manager to tell us what to do, we need an effective leader. A leader sets goals and objectives and lays out the strategy. Where a manager tells us what to do and how to do it, a leader tells us why we are doing it.
The best boss will help you understand the relationship between your work and the organization’s goals and strategy. The best boss will also help you tie your personal objectives to the work you’re doing.
The right boss will challenge you to do your best and be the best you can be. They will help you face your own reality. What are you really good at? Where do you need to improve? Are you developing the managerial and leadership skills you will need to achieve your career goals? Have you mastered the art of receiving criticism?
The best boss is often also a mentor, helping you plan larger life goals, not just work-related goals. The best boss will also help you figure out how to identify what you need from your next boss.
3. Asking the Right Questions
How will you know when you find the right next boss? Part of your interview process must include interviewing your future boss for fit. You must ask questions.
Beyond questions about the actual work you’d be doing, ask the boss about their personal style of leadership and management. How do they prefer to communicate? What is their style of delivery regarding praise and criticism? Note: the best bosses praise loudly and publicly, and chastise and correct privately and quietly.
Ask what key traits are shared by their most successful subordinates. Ask what happened to the person who previously held the role you’re interviewing for. Were they promoted or fired? Ask about the success stories of the people they have trained and mentored. Ask about their relationship with their own boss and whether they get the support they need to be successful.
Ask about how they deal with difficult employees. The worst bosses ignore bad behavior. The best bosses know how to encourage competence and compassion. They work to train underperformers and give people clear instructions on how they need to improve. The best bosses do not let chronically poor performers drag down the production of the team. The right boss recognizes there is room for different personality types and approaches on the team, but draws the line when an individual negatively impacts the harmony of the team. The best boss does not allow underperformers to drive away productive ones.
You can sometimes luck into a great job, great career and great boss. You can improve your chances to find a great job, great career and great boss by planning. Ask yourself the right questions. Ask your current boss the right questions. Ask your potential future boss the right questions.
Pay attention to what you really want, and face the reality of whether or not you can get it where you are, or where you plan to go. Reward yourself when you achieve key milestones. Remember that sometimes the reward for career accomplishments means giving yourself permission to move on. When your boss kicks you out of the nest, remember it’s because they recognize you’ve developed your wings and you’ll be able to fly.
Cheryl Bedard represents the best interests of candidates and clients. She identifies opportunities for success for talented executives and companies and reconciles hopes and dreams with reality.
