Think of the employers and businesses that you know; some of them are Good Bosses – some of them Bad Bosses. Good Bosses walk the talk and are good employers … Bad Bosses simply aren’t backing up their claims with their actions and behaviours.
So what are ‘Bad Boss’ companies doing that is so wrong? They usually say ‘people are our most valuable asset’ yet what they do and how they do it just doesn’t reflect that. Bad boss companies need to be treating their people with more respect and developing better people management skills and programs.
And Bad Boss businesses are getting it wrong because their focus is too much on saving money, delivering shareholder returns and looking at just the short term.
What do companies need to do to be a Good Boss? Treat people with respect; develop ways to motivate and engage staff; employ people based on their values (attitude) as well as their skills; and invest in people and the future of the business.
And Good Boss ~ Bad Boss® issues won’t be disappearing in a hurry. While it’s a recent issue to hit the business agenda, it’s growing in significance, importance and impact to both parties – the employer and the employee. It’s going to become an even hotter topic…
The ancient Chinese were convinced that the quality of their leaders was directly related to national survival. The code of leadership has been addressed in many ancient art of war books. Among these books, Kung Mings Art of War most extensively deals with the question of leadership. People will naturally follow a person who possesses strong spiritual qualities (self-awareness) in addition to his professional aptitude. As the Chinese are fond of saying:
"For a worthy leader, one will walk across boiling oil and raging fire to support his leader's objective."
Kung Ming's book is intended for military use; however the principles that guided the ancient military leaders are interchangeable with those that guide today's political and business leaders. I have provided a literal translation from Kung Mings Art of War so that you may see the unique flavour of his writing.
Kung Ming said:
According to Kung Mings the reasons for the failure of any organization are rooted in the following people.
- He who is fond of creating clusters among the mediocre-minded people so that he may focus the group's objective to annihilate the proficient individuals
- He who is enslaved by his extravagant spending habits
- He who devotes all of his attention to faultfinding, thus stimulating the group's discontent, all for the benefit of his selfish aims
- He who only focuses on his personal losses and gains, and whose actions are solely based on the principle of wining at all costs
