The Best Boss List

If you were to transfer or leave your team, would your team members want to follow you? Would they go out of their way to keep you as a boss?

The other morning I was chatting with one of the cashiers at my local grocery. I learned she recently transferred from another store. I asked her if she liked the move and she said she loved it. She then told me her commute changed from 5 minutes to 60 minutes. The cashier told me she willing makes the longer drive to work because she wanted to continue to work for her favorite manager.

Why would she do such a thing?

"He's the best boss I've ever had," she said. He must be, because she willing drives two additional hours a day just to work for him. This employee's commitment says so much about her manager.

The "Best Boss" list

Curious, I asked her what about her manager makes him worth the effort., She told me he's an excellent communicator and models what he wants from his team. Right there at the cash register she spelled it out. She told me he does the following:

• tells his people what he expects

• gives them good training

• gives them the right tools and equipment for the job

• talks to them about how they are doing on the job

• cares about them personally

• is fair and consistent

• gives perks and rewards for people who go above and beyond

• and, has a good attitude about his own job

How beautiful is that?

As I drove home with my groceries, I thought about my own staff. Could my team members create a list like this store manager's? If given the option, would they willingly make an effort to follow me were I to leave the team?

I like this manager's list and have shared it with other supervisors and managers. If you believe you could use help with your list, drop me a note. We can chat about how we can make it happen.