How to be a good boss at work: 10 tips from Psychology

One of the worst mistakes an organization can make is assuming that a boss is, basically, someone who gives orders to his subordinates. If a leader's job consisted only of transmitting information and instructions from the top down, they would provide little value to companies.

In reality, just the opposite happens: leading consists, among other things, of keeping in mind that a company is not simply a vertical structure for carrying out tasks. tasks in sequence just as a chain of robots would do, but it incorporates a very relevant human component that, if ignored, causes companies to stop function. Therefore, in this article We will review the main tips that, from Psychology, help you be a good boss at work and to lead without losing sight of the set of motivating sources, communication flows, and potential conflict triggers that exist within any organization.

• Related article: "Psychology of work and organizations"

Psychological tips to be a good boss at work

As we have seen before, a competent boss truly capable of carrying out his role in the company is one who is not limited to commanding and deciding things. unilaterally, but in addition to motivating and inspiring, it designs professional performance spaces and work flows so that everything works in a coordinated manner and sustainable. This implies having a global and strategic vision of how workers relate to each other. them, assuming that the members of an organization's staff are not mere executors of orders.

So, let's see what are the principles that a boss should rely on so that, in addition to officially occupying his job, he really leads in his day-to-day life.

1. Don't assume that money is the only incentive.

It is true that the figure that appears on the payroll is a valuable criterion to know approximately the extent to which a company has the capacity to motivate a worker; However, focusing solely on that is losing sight of many relevant aspects when estimating the degree to which someone has committed to the proper functioning of a company.

For example, it is common for many people who have been fathers or mothers to prefer to maintain their salary or even reduce it in exchange for having a good family balance; Or there are those who prefer to earn less in exchange for being able to telework. Likewise, something as simple as feeling undervalued by the boss can make them consider leaving for another company where the salary is lower, but their work is truly respected. Future plans and the psychological elements associated with self-esteem often take priority over monetary interest.

2. Roles and responsibilities must be well defined from the beginning

It is very important that the boss knows express very clearly where each person's responsibilities begin and end. If not, negligence and incomplete tasks will constantly appear, and a context very likely to give rise to unnecessary discussions.

3. Communication flows must be designed from a global perspective

If communication is allowed to flow “freely” without clarifying who should talk to whom to achieve a certain goal, it will most likely be established. communicative dynamics based on personal affinity that will have nothing to do with efficiency or organization into teams and departments.

• Related article: Types of Leadership

4. Informal relationships will always exist, and are relevant

Beyond the formal relationships described in the company's operating manuals and organizational charts, there are informal relationships; those that are formed during the coffee break, in the plans after work, etc. These types of links can create certain dynamics of friendship and enmity that should be taken into account, assuming that it is inevitable that they are there.

For example, ignoring this can lead to situations in which priority treatment is given to people who, due to their personality and interests tend to get along better with HR technicians or senior managers, even without trying to fall into the nepotism; It is a phenomenon that occurs in a semi-conscious manner unless specific mechanisms are established to avoid it.

5. Rumors affect how a company is perceived

Even within an organization, its workers do not have a completely bias-free view of this. That is, the Human Resources or Public Relations team does not have to dominate the discourse about what the company's image is, what its values ​​are, etc. In this sense, the appearance of rumors greatly influences the working environment, and it is important to have the ability to tackle them, which means not allowing taboo topics to be created.

6. Leading also involves building employee loyalty.

It is well known that, as a general rule, retaining talent is more efficient than depending on the constant recruitment of new workers; The simple fact of having the experience of years of working in an organization increases the value that a worker brings to the team. But in order to have that knowledge, It is necessary for bosses to design talent retention plans, which involves doing things like facilitating training within the company, making it clear what the promotion criteria are that allow promotion positions, etc. If a feeling of professional stagnation appears, those veteran workers will leave.

7. A good boss sets an example

It does not matter if as leaders we consider that the effort we have invested in our professional career makes us deserve certain privileges; If workers see that we are less involved in the proper functioning of the company than they are, they will perceive it as an injustice and a sign of bad leadership.

8. Criticism should be done constructively

It is one thing to “snap out” by directing criticism towards the person who made a mistake, and another thing to criticize specific behaviors to help the person learn from their mistakes. The former can be perceived as undeserved humiliation, while the latter is constructive. Furthermore, it is worth assessing to what extent it is useful that these criticisms be made when more people can hear them than the one who has done something wrong; Many bosses don't even stop to think about the implications of that.

• You may be interested: "How to give constructive criticism"

9. It should not be assumed that authority is based on fear

Bad bosses assume that their authority comes from the fear they instill in the rest of the company. Instead, those who lead correctly assume that their authority is based on a combination of their experience, e.g. on the one hand, and its ability to see everything that happens in the organization in a joint and strategic way, on the other other. That is what justifies that he has the last word, and so it must be reflected in his actions when communicating.

10. We must prevent one part of the team from absorbing the work of the rest

If it is not led well, it may happen that over time some of the workers accumulate a good part of the responsibilities that were initially assigned to another; the lack of assertiveness that It occurs in those who do not know how to say “no.” It is a psychological aspect to take into account. To prevent this from happening, periodic reviews must be carried out of the average daily life of the members of the organization.

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