Staff Pick: Be the Boss Everyone Wants to Work For

I know we all have had bad bosses. In keeping with the Halloween season, we can say experiences with them can be fairly “scary.” Some even come across as “monsters,” if you will. What qualities did they have that turned you away?

Now let’s “flip the script,” as they say. I bet you’ve had a boss you really liked or wished you were able to work with. What qualities drove you toward that person?

• Did they put people first?
• Where they personable?
• Did they believe in individual team member's abilities, and bragged about them?
• Did they empower their team to do new and challenging things?

Those leaders you admired were not born leaders. They have been developed. The crazy thing is that what gets a person to that point of being promoted to their first leadership role, the skills that made them stand out as a valued employee for the company (i.e., creating amazing marketing ideas for new products), does not help and can actually get in your way to being an effective leader.

“Wait, what?” you ask. Allow me to explain.

William Gentry, in his book Be the Boss Everyone Wants to Work For: A Guide for New Leaders, suggests we all have a script in our head about how the world operates, especially in the working world. We work hard, learn how to do a skill or two well, get recognized for our efforts and get promoted. Gentry calls this the “me” script. He proposes to be a good leader you must “flip the script” from “me” to “we.”

Gentry’s book walks you through six practical, evidence-based flips that come from his research and life’s triumphs and failures. These best practices will guide you through the transition of being an employee to a leader in the organization.

One of the biggest takeaways for me was flipping the “do-it-all” attitude. Many leaders received the promotion because of this viewpoint and companies look for people that have this work ethic. However, this “do-it-all” frame of mind will hinder you as a leader.

This mindset can convey a message that team members cannot be trusted to accomplish this task with the grace and precision as you can. Gentry feels that this strength as an individual contributor becomes a weakness as a leader. He suggests that you flip the script and develop others, offer support when needed, empower them to do more challenging things and provide positive feedback.

This book sheds light on a conversation that should be discussed when people are transitioning from a contributor to a leadership role in an organization. We need to take the time to develop these new leaders to flip the script and focus on the people they lead and serve.

The bottom line is this: If you’re a new leader or support the development of future leaders, this book would be an excellent first start to a successful transition.

And it can make the world a little less “scary.”