Jennifer Wisdom - Millennials Quick Guide to Being a Boss: What No One Ever Told You About Being a True Leader

MILLENNIALS

QUICK GUIDE TO

BEING A BOSS

What No One Ever Told You About Being a True Leader

Jennifer P. Wisdom

2021 Jennifer P. Wisdom

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 International Copyright Act without prior written permission except in brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Published by Winding Pathway Books

ISBN (print): 978-1-954374-27-0

ISBN (e-book): 978-1-954374-26-3

Book design by Wendy C. Garfinkle

Cover design by Diego G. Diaz

Photo Credit: Diego G. Diaz

For more information or bulk orders, visit: www.millennialsguides.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

If youve read other books in the Millennials Guides series (Millennials Guide to Work; Millennials Guide to Management and Leadership; Millennials & Generation Z Guide to Voting; Millennials Guide to Relationships; Millennials Guide to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; or Millennials Guide to the Construction Trades), you know how this works. Millennials Guides are not books necessarily best read cover to cover. I encourage you to review the table of contents and identify a challenge you are currently having or recently experienced. Turn to those pages to start finding a solution!

Each chapter in this Quick Guide includes a brief description, several things to think about, and activities that you may want to try. Many times, you can feel improvement after trying one option. Youll see some information repeated across different chapters because theyre likely to be helpful for many problems. For complex challenges, you may want to attempt several interventions at the same time.

Its important to have patience and give the solutions and considerations a little bit of time to work. Some ideas that you try wont solve the problem but will make it a little better or make you think differently about the issue -- thats still success! If you dont feel comfortable trying an activity, try something else. Some of the activities are very low risk, such as changing your expectations of other people. Others can appear more challenging. Start with actions that feel like lower risk to you and work your way up to more challenging actions. As you work through the book, youll get better at understanding how to be a boss; reading situations; responding respectfully to people you work with; building positive and diverse networks; and applying solutions effectively. Observe, be patient, clarify your own boundaries, and learn. The goal of the strategies in this book is to help you develop skills that will serve you well as you continue to move forward in your lifelong exploration of being a boss.

Each of you reading this Quick Guide is a unique person with talents to share with the world. My hope is that this book can make it easier for you to do so. Good luck improving the world!

When you think of the best boss you ever had, or an exceptional boss from a movie, television show or book, you know what it means to be a great boss. Similarly, when you think of your experiences and the many examples of awful bosses from the media, you know what a terrible boss is too. If you want to be an amazing boss, you need to look at yourself first. What does being a good boss mean? What kind of a boss do you want to be? Right now, you can start being a great boss by setting an example and making changes in your own life that you want to see reflected in your community, society, and in the world. Lets do this!

Self-evaluation is an important process in order to make positive changes in ourselves. Look at the areas within yourself that you think are great, and the areas in which youd like to grow. These can include specific skills, like programming or public speaking, and also skills like kindness, patience, generosity, and precision. Self-evaluation can help you become aware of habits you might not have even recognized before that you want to change.

2. Become aware of self-talk and language you use towards others. If you want to see more respect in your workplace, check to see if you are being respectful in your own self-talk and in the language you use with your colleagues. Be patient and kind to yourself as you start to change your life for the better and as you start to improve your workplace for everyone!

3. Learn from others. If you want to make changes in yourself its helpful to research and learn about how others made changes in their lives and gain insights. Learn from the best bosses, and also learn from others mistakes and bad habits. Listen to podcasts and read books and articles about people making positive change and doing good in the world.

4. Create positive habits that reinforce the change you wish to see in yourself and others. Kindness is a habit that can be added into your daily life: it can start small and evolve from there. You may also want to consider positive habits around eating, sleeping, meditating, reading, exercising, or other activities that can make you stronger.

5. Step out of your comfort zone. Many of us have adapted a daily routine that feels safe. Sometimes its helpful to push to the edge of that comfort zone to grow even as uncomfortable as it may feel. Taking a chance, trying new food, traveling to another country, or daring to be vulnerable push us out of our daily comfort zone. These experiments in being brave can have a positive impact on your perspectives, what kind of boss you are, and maybe even the way you live your life.

6. Surround yourself with others who are aligned with the changes you wish to see. When you are around a group of people who also want to change themselves for the better and make a positive impact it can help foster your own motivation and growth. You can learn from each other and bonus! you have a built-in support system.

7. Use social media for positive change. Social media such as Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram can be platforms where you use your voice to share positive language, actions, events, knowledge, and experiences. Through social media you can connect with others who are also working towards change for the positive. Setting intentions before using these platforms is helpful to keep your focus on what youre using them for and not getting off-track.

8. Take action and volunteer. One of the best activities you can join in is by volunteering for something you truly believe in or wish to learn more about. Volunteering can be for a committee at work, an annual event, or a community organization. Volunteering can also connect you with a community that also wants the changes you wish to see. It not only helps others, but it also helps you by changing your mindset and your view of others.

See also:

Chapter 8: Asserting Your Authority

Chapter 13: Building Belonging

The best bosses surround themselves with capable, competent people who soak up feedback, know when to ask questions, and reliably perform at the highest levels. How do you get great staff? Hire great staff!