Job satisfaction often hinges on the quality of the relationships we have with our bosses. Yet in today’s rapidly evolving, 24/7 workplaces, it’s not always clear what managers should do to create satisfying work experiences and happy employees. My research into the world’s most successful bosses has unearthed common practices that make work more meaningful and enjoyable.
If you supervise others, ensure you do the following:
1. Manage individuals, not teams
When you’re under pressure, it’s easy to forget that employees are unique individuals, with varying interests, abilities, goals and learning styles. But it’s important to customise your interactions with them. Understand what makes them tick. Be available for conversations. Deliver lessons cued to individual developmental needs.
When promoting, look past rigid competency models for growth opportunities tailored to the ambitions, talents, and capacities of each person.
Dr Paul Batalden, a professor emeritus at Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine, who once worked for Tommy Frist at a leading healthcare company, told me that his former boss was “such an unusual CEO” of a company that size. “You could always see him. He always had time.” Samuel Howard, another Frist protégé who is now a corporate executive, added that when you asked him to do something, he would work with you to get it done.
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2. Go big on meaning
Most employees value jobs that let them contribute and make a difference, and many organisations emphasise meaning and purpose to foster engagement. But this is also the manager’s responsibility. You can’t rely on incentives like bonuses, stock options, or raises. You’ve got to inspire them with a vision and challenging goals so they believe they can win. Articulate a clear purpose that fires your team up, set expectations high, and tell them you think they’re capable of anything.
Legendary bosses like Bill Sanders in real estate, Julian Robertson in hedge funds, and Bill Walsh in professional football all communicated visions that entranced employees and left them hell-bent on success. Scot Sellers, once a protégé of Sanders, recalled that his former boss “would lay out his vision and say, ‘I would like you to be a part of it.’ You were so honoured to be asked that you just jumped in and said, ‘Sign me up!’”
3. Focus on feedback
A 2013 Society for Human Resource Management survey of managers found that “only 2% provide ongoing feedback to their employees.”
Many bosses limit themselves to the dreaded ‘performance review’ and often mingle developmental feedback with discussions about compensation and promotion, rendering the former less effective.
Some organisations are providing continuous, personalised feedback that the best bosses employ. Regular one-on-one conversations offer lots of coaching. Make the feedback clear, honest and constructive, and frame it to promote independence and initiative.
Hedge fund manager Chase Coleman remembered that his former boss and backer, Julian Robertson, “understand what motivated people and how to extract maximum performance out of [them]… For some, that [meant] encouraging them, and for others, it [meant] making them feel less comfortable. He would adjust his feedback.”
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4. Don’t just talk… listen
Employees tend to be happiest when they contribute ideas and take initiative, and most managers claim to want that. So why doesn’t it happen more often? Because bosses promote their own views. Why bother taking risks with new ideas when your boss’s views are already fixed?
The best leaders listen. They pose challenges, then ask questions to enlist the entire team in generating solutions. They reward innovation and initiative, and encourage the same of everyone.
Football coach Walsh went out of his way to encourage input from his assistant coaches and players. He did this before, during, and after watching replays. This collaborative approach came from his track record with the San Francisco 49ers: six division titles, three NFC Championship titles and three Super Bowl wins.
5. Be consistent
It’s hard to feel motivated when the bar always shifts in unpredictable ways. Be consistent in your management style, vision, expectations, feedback and openness to new ideas. If change is necessary, acknowledge it openly and quickly.
Kyle Craig, who worked with restaurant impresario Norman Brinker at Burger King in the 1980s, remembered his boss’s consistent humility. ‘He was never unwilling to admit his failures and mistakes, which puts people around him at ease.’ Bill Walsh, meanwhile, was consistently confident. As former 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark remarked, “There was just an attitude. He walked with a strut almost — not cocky, just very confident.” These superbosses had dramatically different approaches, yet both worked because they were consistent.
No behaviour a boss adopts will guarantee happy employees, but managers who follow these practices will find that they will help improve wellbeing, engagement, and productivity on any team.
© 2016 Harvard Business School Publishing Corp.
