John's Rant
Bosses - Be Nice or Stay Home!
Pardon my rant but why do some bosses prefer to be the silent type or, worse, the "don't speak to me until I've had my coffee or caffeine" type?
Do they really get up in the morning with the "stay way from me world" attitude or is it just in their nature?
Or, are they so full of their lofty "position" that they get off on employees cowering around them.
Some people JUST should not be bosses!
When I hear or see a boss who emulates one of the famous 7 dwarfs, Grumpy, I have to ask, "why did you ever get in the business of managing other people for?"
The first words of the day or, of the game if you play sports, should be a reinforcing one for your team, your kids, your mate, your whoever. Nothing sets the tone of success or failure for the day as the boss' first words to employees. The very nature of the relationship between boss and workers is one on some level of insecurity for employees. The more created insecurity for workers the greater the loss of productive work effort and certainly that of any creative solutions to work place issues. It's hard to expect a counter employee at McDonald's to be bright and cherry to the first customers in the morning if the boss merely grunts as a first exchange of the day. Anyone who reports to someone else and does so for a paycheck has some innate level of concern about what the boss is thinking relative to the workers performance or even continued existence on the payroll. A boss' communications, either verbal or "grunted" are huge downers or uppers. A simple smile and a reinforcing comment that makes the worker feel that they're wanted, needed and valued goes a long way for a good day.
So, if you can park your personal issues at the door and be an "approachable" boss, you've got 50% of employee motivation already solved. If not, stay home. Employees are human and don't need your Monday morning growl!