If you have any concerns about being a bad boss, there are questions you can ask yourself to help you assess whether it might be difficult to work for you.
Harvard Business Review recommends asking the following questions.
- Do you have unrealistic standards? If your standards are too high, you could be setting you and your team up to fail. Ask team members about what they need to do their work effectively, and be sure to listen to their feedback.
- Are you a micromanager? Instead of telling your employees exactly how things should be done, shift your focus to outcomes and give them space to take initiative. Offer feedback and guidance, but do not do the work for them.
- Do you only delegate busy work? Everyone wants to grow, so let go of some of your control and use delegation as a tool to help team members develop.
- Is your feedback too negative? If you do not think you offer positive feedback often, you can start by acknowledging your team members’ strengths and successes in a specific way. Try to implement a 6:1 ratio of positive to negative feedback.
