Fresh Thought #4: Who’s Your Boss??

Hello Fresh Approachers!!

For the past few years, I have been grateful to lead a company full of employees who share the same passion in my field. Being in that position triggered my inspiration to become more of the best leader than being just a boss. By definition, a boss is a person who is in charge of an organization and tells others what to do. A leader is a person who is in charge that convinces other people to follow. 

A person who manages as a leader will never be seen as a boss. Some people manages, and some people inspire.

 In my daily management life, I do my best to follow my three rules of efficient smart leadership: to lead with trust, lead with enthusiasm, and lead with empathy. By doing this, I have employees who contribute to the development of my company, who are happy to come to work each day. Most importantly, I have employees who reach their full potential and challenge themselves every day to be the best versions of themselves. 

Let us look at other things I do to maintain and develop my leadership whilst straying away from being just a boss. 

1. We before I except after you

Bosses would tend to use the singular pronouns such as “I” and “Me” in every situation. I try my best to respectively correct my managers during their weekly report to me when they use phrases such as, “I was the one who made sure we were on schedule with this project.” Bosses start to stray away from these pronouns when the situations get sour because they begin to hold their subordinates accountable.

Leadership should focus on producing a team atmosphere. Whenever my company reaches new milestones and accomplishments, I always give credit to my team. During my weekly meeting, I would say, “We made our client happy with the accomplishment of our project, great job team!” 

2. Gooooood morning!

Most of the time, to be a leader, it takes a great deal of enthusiasm. When I arrive at the office or the job site, my staff will greet me a “good morning,” that alone is an excellent jumpstart to my day. I told myself if that makes me happy in the morning, what more would it be if I was the one who greeted my team, “good morning.” Therefore each time I encounter any of my employees, I would always greet them and make sure they are okay. So that from the beginning of the workday to the end, they stay energized and happy!

3. The Daily Works

Great leaders know how to roll up their sleeves and work alongside their employees. We do not want to be the boss who does not put in the work. 

For the past few years, I made it a daily task to learn every single angle of my business. By doing so, I can work alongside my employees, and I can gauge the work that needs to be put into a particular job and help share this knowledge with any of my staff. Leading alongside is a great motivation booster when your employees see their leader working beside them.

4. Approach and Speak 

I always make it known to my employees that I am approachable in any circumstances. I want to be a leader who is not feared as a boss; rather, I want to be respected as the captain that my staff sees approachable. Gaining that trust, a leader needs to listen to what the team has to say before talking and being open to innovative ideas coming from your employees. I like getting inputs from my team before making any executive decisions; a lot of brainpower is better than just one. Bosses focus on dominating the conversation with their ideas and are unreceptive to ideas from the team; however, a leader focuses on dominating the conversation with their own ideas and mixes in their employees’ opinions.

5. Employees will always be your best investment.

I can not emphasize this enough that a company’s most valuable asset is its employees. Therefore, I make sure that I boost my staff’s morale and self-esteem because I believe it is incredible what your personnel can do when they believe in themselves. My old boss would always tell me that I was meant to be a leader because of my willingness to learn new things and my eagerness to inspire other people.

Employees who are inspired are proven to focus more on working hard to accomplish the company’s goals. I like to show my employees that their hard work in growing the company will also lead to their individual growth. A company’s focus to invest in its employees promotes employees’ longevity within the company and a happy work environment.

6. Family First

The foundation that my company is built on is a family atmosphere. The leaders within my organization emphasize taking the extra mile to care for their employees during and after work. Whether they work in the office or out in the field, manager or not, I strive to make sure everyone feels included in my family and motivated to come to work each day. 

Special shoutout to my followers who gave me this topic idea to write about! What do you think about the leadership tips? Do you see yourself as a boss or leader within your organization? What should I write about next? Comment below!

Stay Classy! Stay Fresh!

The Fresh Approach

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