Harvard Business Review - HBR Guide to Being a Great Boss

Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, from the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

HBR Guide for Women at Work

HBR Guide to Being a Great Boss

HBR Guide to Being More Productive

HBR Guide to Better Business Writing

HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case

HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business

HBR Guide to Changing Your Career

HBR Guide to Coaching Employees

HBR Guide to Collaborative Teams

HBR Guide to Data Analytics Basics for Managers

HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict

HBR Guide to Delivering Effective Feedback

HBR Guide to Emotional Intelligence

HBR Guide to Finance Basics for Managers

HBR Guide to Getting the Mentoring You Need

HBR Guide to Getting the Right Job

HBR Guide to Getting the Right Work Done

HBR Guide to Leading Teams

HBR Guide to Making Better Decisions

HBR Guide to Making Every Meeting Matter

HBR Guide to Managing Strategic Initiatives

HBR Guide to Managing Stress at Work

HBR Guide to Managing Up and Across

HBR Guide to Motivating People

HBR Guide to Negotiating

HBR Guide to Networking

HBR Guide to Office Politics

HBR Guide to Performance Management

HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations

HBR Guide to Project Management

HBR Guide to Remote Work

HBR Guide to Setting Your Strategy

HBR Guide to Thinking Strategically

HBR Guide to Work-Life Balance

HBR Guide to Your Professional Growth

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No one has a more significant impact on your employees day-to-day experience than you, their manager. A great bosssomeone who is supportive, helpful, proactive, and thoughtfulis a joy to work for. A bad one... well, as the saying goes, people dont leave companies because of their jobs.

But what separates so-so managers from next-level bosses? Maybe you know how to read a P&L, set and implement strategy, and hire new team members. But do you know how to develop trusting relationships with your employees? Can you create a culture where failing is an opportunity to learn? Does your feedback give employees a clear path toward their goals? Are you the kind of boss people want to work for?

Whether you are new to managing or have been leading a team for years, this guide will help you go beyond the basics so that you can help every employee thrive.

Youll learn how to:

• Motivate and engage your team
• Build a culture of trust and psychological safety
• Meet the needs of both B players and stars
• Support employees struggling with mental health issues
• Shareand receiveuseful feedback
• Help people find purpose in their work
• Ensure employees from all backgrounds feel welcome
• Keep in-office and remote workers connected and productive
• Get underperformers back on track
• Be authentically yourself

Make the most of what makes your employees unique.

BY MARCUS BUCKINGHAM

Be yourself looks different for everyone.

BY ROB GOFFEE AND GARETH JONES

The best managers never stop improving themselves.

BY LINDA A. HILL AND KENT LINEBACK

And do they really trust you?

BY AMY JEN SU

Be emotionally intelligent about being transparent.

BY LIZ FOSSLIEN AND MOLLIE WEST DUFFY

Heres how to create it.

BY LAURA DELIZONNA

Dont managemediate.

BY JEANNE BRETT AND STEPHEN B. GOLDBERG

Four thingsand theyre all essential.

BY JACK ZENGER AND JOSEPH FOLKMAN

Your employees cant thrive without it.

BY CHRISTINE PORATH

Its about delivering on commitments, not shaming anyone.

BY PETER BREGMAN

Understand what drives your team.

BY MONIQUE VALCOUR

Strategies to get people back on track.

BY RICHARD E. CLARK AND BROR SAXBERG

Bosses need it, too.

BY JENNIFER PORTER

Dont overlook the deep value they provide.

BY LIZ KISLIK

Think carefully about their development, autonomy, and workload.

BY REBECCA KNIGHT

Make a concrete plan of actiontogether.

BY AMY GALLO

Tips for taking your feelings out of the equation.

BY AMY GALLO

If you want your team to stand up for inclusion, you need to stand up too.

BY DAISY AUGER-DOMINGUEZ

Steps you can take to make a difference today.

BY JOAN C. WILLIAMS AND SKY MIHAYLO

Keep things equitable no matter how, when, or where people work.

BY REBECCA KNIGHT

Set clear norms and stick to them.

BY ANDY MOLINSKY AND ERNEST GUNDLING

And making that happen is yours.

BY DAN CABLE

Feel the disappointment, then look toward the future.

BY AMY GALLO

Be empathetic and compassionate while also being professional.

BY CAROLYN OHARA

Create a more empathetic culture.

BY DIANA OBRIEN AND JEN FISHER

Its easier said than donebut you can do it.

BY NATALIA PEART

The best boss I ever had. Thats a phrase most of us have said or heard at some point, but what does it mean? What sets the great boss apart from the average boss? The literature is rife with provocative writing about the qualities of managers and leaders and whether the two differ, but little has been said about what happens in the thousands of daily interactions and decisions that allows managers to get the best out of their people and win their devotion. What do great managers actually