HBR Guide to
Being a Great Boss
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HBR Guide to
Being a Great Boss
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What Youll Learn
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
Contents
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
SECTION ONE
What Being a Great Boss Means
CHAPTER 1
What Great Managers Do
by Marcus Buckingham
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