When I started my business I wanted to be the best boss ever!  A lofty goal for a first-timer!   I had some ideas of what makes a great boss and I knew my employees were never going to tell me if I wasn’t one, so being conscientious of my leadership skills has always been a priority for me.  I often hear people say that they would love to work for my company, which tells me that I must be doing something right.  Here are 5 things I do to be the best boss I can be to the greatest team I have ever worked with:

I want to see my employees develop and succeed

When we hire a great employee who’s a perfect fit for their position my goal is to keep them.  I like to communicate with them and look at things from their perspective so that we can make their position almost feel like its tailor-made for them.  I listen to their concerns and encourage suggestions for improvement.  When they come to me with a great idea we implement them quickly!  I also encourage them to try new things instead of being afraid to fail – failure after all is your best teacher.  Lastly, I give them a yearly professional development allowance to spend on things that will help them grow professionally and personally and push them out of their comfort zones.

I am continuously engaged in self-improvement

Investing time and energy into personal and professional development has allowed me to have a laser-sharp focus on my vision.  Understanding my own strengths and weaknesses has made me realize who I am, and it has made me a more thoughtful and aware boss.   It also helps me to recognize the strengths and weaknesses in our team so that I can make requests accordingly.

I try to be as straightforward as possible

Saying what I mean hasn’t always been a strength of mine but I can thankfully say that candid communication is easily one of our success factors.  Feedback is important – the good, the bad and the ugly.  Employees want and need feedback, and it’s been crucial in making our team as productive as it is.

I trust my employees

I know where I want us to go and I make sure that everyone knows how important their job is to getting us there.  Trust plays a big part in helping us to achieve our goals and once each employee has mastered the tasks in their position I like to challenge them with more responsibility.  I also like to encourage my managers to do the same thing with the employees that work with them.  I believe I can do anything, but not everything.   The trust in our team ensures we are that we are all working together to keep us moving forward.

I embrace change

We are driven by goals.  As a rapidly growing company, sometimes our goals bring us in a direction that doesn’t work for our vision.  I have found ourselves at a crossroads many times where there is nothing we can do but fail quickly and pivot fast.  My team is used to embracing change and have become so resilient that when those changes happen, not only do they stay inspired by our vision and motivated to get us there, but they want to know immediately what they can do to help us in our new direction.

Running a business and being the boss is not always easy.  It can be a difficult journey with trial and error, and endless effort.  But it’s also incredibly rewarding and gives me the opportunity to make a huge impact. I get to work with, and through, awesome people, and that to me is the best job ever!