Career Check-In

What Makes A Good Boss

By Tom Musbach, Yahoo! HotJobs

Bad bosses are easy to spot in the media, and many people like to compare their managers to the ice queen Miranda Priestly in "The Devil Wears Prada" or the clueless Michael Scott on "The Office." Good bosses may get less screen time, but everybody wants one.

What, exactly, makes a boss "good"? In a recent survey by Yahoo! HotJobs, U.S. workers identified several qualities they consider necessary for a good boss. The traits are listed below in order of importance.

Top 10 Good-Boss Traits

  1. Communication/listening skills
  2. Effective leadership skills
  3. Trust in employees to do their jobs well
  4. Flexibility and understanding
  5. Intelligence
  6. Teamwork skills and even temperament (tie)
  7. Interest in employee development
  8. Ability to share credit
  9. Successful in finding and retaining new talent
  10. Presentation skills

"The results of this survey suggest that today's workers are pretty savvy about what it takes to be an effective manager," says Liz Bywater, president of the Bywater Consulting Group, which is devoted to improving organizational performance. "An excellent boss must possess many, if not all, of the qualities identified on this top 10 list."

Does Your Boss Measure Up?

J.T. O'Donnell, career development specialist and author of "Find Your Career Path," cautions that very few humans excel in all the qualities listed above, and she recommends that employees narrow their expectations when evaluating their bosses.

"Employees need to determine the top three or four aspects that are most important to them in a good manager," she says.

Once workers identify those qualities, O'Donnell says, they should determine if their managers meet those criteria. If their managers don't, employees need to figure out how they can manage up to help their bosses meet those needs.

"By shortening the list, employees give the manager a better chance of meeting and exceeding their needs," O'Donnell says. "Employees learn that their ability to feel satisfied on the job is in their control."

Tips for Managing Up

Employees can also try a few other strategies to help bosses improve their skills and working relationships.

  • Focus on your boss' strengths. "No one boss will possess all the qualities you'd like to see," says Bywater. But if your boss is a great listener, for example, find time to talk to her about your goals and aspirations. "Ask for the support you'll need in order to accelerate your own development and bring even greater value to the organization. In so doing, you harness your boss' strength as a listener to enhance your working relationship."
  • Be consistent. If you tell your boss you're interested in on-the-job development, then "seize the opportunity to gain new skills, and express genuine appreciation for the opportunity," says Bywater.
  • Find the money angle. Try coaching your boss by talking about what will improve productivity or make (or save) more money. Randall Hansen, president of Quintessential Careers, gives this example of what to say: "If we just had this kind of thing in place (insert whatever the boss is lacking, such as flexibility), then everyone in the office would have one less thing on their minds and would be able to do their jobs better."
  • Know your place. "Remember, this is not a peer relationship," Bywater concludes. "There is a power differential, so be careful not to cross the line in your efforts to improve your boss' performance."