5 Questions to Determine if You Are a Good Boss

Although most managers might think they're good bosses, research shows that their employees could disagree. It takes skill and practice to manage people well, and regular self-evaluation is one way to make sure you constantly improve in your role. Set aside a regular time to evaluate your performance and set goals for improvement in weak areas. Ask yourself a few questions to see how you're doing.

1. Does Your Staff Know the Company Mission?

Better management starts with making sure that the people on your team know why they're there. Regularly reinforce the company mission by discussing company goals at staff meetings and individual feedback sessions. Talk about how your team fits into the big picture, and what your team needs to do to stay in line with company values. Manage people by showing them how they fit in and where the results of their work go.

2. Does Each Individual Understand the Importance of His Role?

It's not enough for everyone to be aware of the company mission; it's also your job to make sure that each employee knows how he is important to that mission. People work harder when they know exactly how their roles matter. Let each employee know his worth by directly stating how he is of value to the company.

3. Do You Have Regular Feedback Meetings?

Annual performance reviews are never a substitute for regular face-to-face feedback sessions with your team members. When you manage people, you need to prioritize time to evaluate their progress and provide them with help. Make sure to treat your employees as partners during these meetings. You want each staff member to look forward to this time to set goals, discuss progress and ask questions.

4. Is Great Work Rewarded?

A good boss recognizes excellent work and rewards it. Manage people better by taking the time to point out excellence and offer praise regularly. Then follow up by providing bonuses, raises, promotions and valuable assignments to those employees who regularly exceed expectations. If you don't motivate your top performers, they'll have little reason to keep putting out their best efforts.

5. Do You Know Your Employees' Goals?

Managers have lots of responsibilities, and it's easy to get caught up in your own goals and projects, forgetting that your employees are more than just resources. To manage people well, you need to know those people. Talk to your team members about their personal career goals. Do they want to move up within your company? Do they hope to continue their education? Help them meet some of those goals by assigning challenging tasks that help workers grow and providing learning opportunities that could move people into better positions.

Remember that a good manager requires a great team. Engage in regular self-reflection to keep your skill level high. As part of the process, be sure to get feedback from both your employees and your own boss. A combination of evaluation, feedback and continuing education gives you the skills you need to manage people better.

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