What Employees Want and Don’t Want from Their Boss
Are you providing your employees with what they want?
Five Things That Employees Want From Their Boss
1. Clear Communication: Employees want leaders who communicate their vision and goals effectively. They want to know what is expected of them and how they can contribute to the organization's overall success. They want to be talked to like an adult. They want the good news and the bad news. Authenticity is appreciated.
2. Empathy and Understanding: Employees want leaders who are empathetic and understanding. They want someone who can listen to their concerns and help them find solutions to problems. A relatable leader is a trusted leader. Transparency is earned and carefully nurtured.
3. A Sense of Purpose: Employees want to feel that their work is meaningful and that they are making a difference. They want leaders who can create a sense of purpose and inspire them to work towards a common goal.
4. Knowledge and Competence: Employees want leaders who are knowledgeable and possess the necessary competencies. They want someone who can provide guidance and support and has the expertise to help them grow and develop in their careers. Leaders who walk the halls and know the challenges employees face are considered competent leaders.
5. Inspiration and Hope: Employees want leaders who can inspire and motivate them to be their best selves. They want leaders who are passionate about their work and who point to a hopeful future. A sense of genuine hope enables employees to innovate, provide valuable input, and deliver their best work.
Five Things that Employees Don’t Want from Their Boss
1. Self-Promotion: They are tired of the “look at me” ego-driven self-promotion they see in leaders. They are aware of the deep divide between executive compensation and the lower tiers of the organization. They don’t like it thrown in their face through trappings of power, self-aggrandizing LinkedIn posts, or out-of-touch remarks.
2. Lack of Sincerity: Employees desperately want to trust their leaders; it gives them a sense of security and confidence. They don’t want to be patronized or only get the sanitized version of the best-case scenario. They have mouths to feed and mortgages to pay. They want adult-to-adult conversations.
3. Slow No: Employees want decisive leaders. They don’t want to hear that their leader is considering it, needs more data, or will get back to them in the future. Employees are trying to make daily progress toward meaningful work. If it’s a “no,” they want to hear it now. Wasting their time isn’t making progress.
4. Executive Speak: Employees want to hear about the organization's successes and challenges in clear, understandable terms. They don’t want a buzzword-filled pontification on leveraging big data, core competencies, agile value-added thought leadership, or consumer-centric transformational disruptors. They want concise, straightforward explanations that conclude with how this issue will affect their future.
5. Disrespectful Jerks: Employees tolerate being treated as an inferior cog in a wheel that is easily replaced. They are quiet because they need their job. They don’t like to be treated as inferior, stupid, or unappreciated. They are human beings with feelings that are rarely expressed due to the power dynamics prevalent in many organizations. They want to be cared for and know their leader wants them to make a difference.
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