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by Ann C. HumphriesWhat do bosses want?
You may think you know what bosses want. If they told you in simple terms rather than have you guess, you know you'd be a better employee, even a great employee. So what do bosses want?
Greg Clure, a manager with large group sales with Kaiser Permanente in Pasadena, California has his ideas of what he expects, needs, and wants from employees. He conducts extensive interviews to hire great employees, saying, "I'll wait for a great employee, rather than hire a mediocre one quickly. The great employees are role models for average performers."
Clure, like other bosses, seems to list the same characteristics of great employees. Here is a list of
the most common.
- Be self-directed and resourceful. Clure says, "I need people to get the job done in a reasonable amount of time. I appreciate resourcefulness. I don't need people to keep coming back to me with more questions."
- Be enthusiastic and diligent. Concentrate on work when at work. Don't let distractions dilute your focus. Stay positive. Tell people what you can do.
- Be consistent. Manage your resources so that you conduct your work in a consistently good manner over a period of time. Avoid the surges. Perform as well in the morning as you do in the afternoon; as well at the beginning of the week as you do at the end; as well on one project as you do on another.
- Show respect and loyalty. Be respectful of the position your boss occupies. As your supervisor, he or she is allowed extra courtesy. Speak well of your boss to others. Brag on your boss to the outside world.
- Be frank and fair. Keep bosses posted on what's going on.
- Communicate. Give your bosses criticism or suggestions to make them or the business you do together more effective, but talk with them with their interests and welfare in mind. At the same time, be fair about what you expect from them.
- Maintain your sense of humor. Keep things light. Make fun of the difficult. Encourage each other.
What do bosses want? They want simple, timeless behaviours you'd probably want for yourself.
~Ann C. Humphries, CPCM ETICON, Inc. and Proud To Be Polite, PO Box 69530, Columbia, SC 29229 USA. Phone: 803-736-1934 Fax: 803-736-0673 http://www.eticon.com/
