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Business Musings

What Makes a Great Leader

Photo Credit to stockimages via freedigitalphotos.net
Photo Credit to stockimages via freedigitalphotos.net

Throughout my work experience, I have had my fair share of less-than-stellar bosses, managers, you name it. Out of all the leaders I have worked with, there were only a couple who stuck out as exceptional leaders. These are the qualities I found that they had in common:

  1. Open, honest communication
  2. Fairness
  3. Streamlined workflow system

One boss I had was rarely physically present with us employees, but he had the whole system set up to where we knew what to do on a daily basis (this was a foodservice job): we knew how to get things set up, how to handle incoming orders and busy periods of time, and how to break down for the day. We were required to confirm inventory both at the beginning and the end of each shift, and our boss had set up many checks and balances along the way to make sure the inventory count was one-hundred percent accurate. Despite not being physically there with us, our boss taught us to be mindful of every detail so that his business could be run efficiently and effectively.

Another great manager I had at another job was very kind and honest. Although at times these qualities of his seemed detrimental to being a great leader, I beg to differ: he was open to hearing me out on any ideas or concerns I had about the business and allowed for me to do more than what my job title dictated by giving me the task to update marketing materials for the business. He made sure that our whole staff was on the same page by scheduling regular meetings with us all and letting us all voice our opinions without fear of criticism.

I hope to one day be able to emulate these two great leaders from my past work experience.