Wouldn’t it be great if every management position came with its own rulebook?

Unfortunately, no leadership role is that simple (or static). But that doesn’t mean you have to “reinvent the wheel” if you want to grow as a manager. The truth is, following these four rules will help you become an even better boss – regardless of your industry, functional role or the size of your team:

Lead through Empowerment

Great bosses are not micromanagers. They hire smart, trust their employees and empower them – creating an environment in which staff members have ample room and resources to perform their jobs well.

Set your employees up for empowered success before you “hand over the reins” by delegating effectively:

• Choose the right projects for delegation. Ones that are discrete, yet challenging, work best.

• Set clear expectations. Employees must understand the goals for the project, important deadlines, and key deliverables.

• Keep instructions simple. Provide essential information, but don’t over-explain (your employees are smart and want to think for themselves).

• Make sure individuals have adequate time, tools, authority and other resources to complete the work.

• Be available to answer questions and provide feedback, but resist the urge to hover.

• Circle back once the project is complete to review results, reward exceptional performance and learn from any mistakes that were made.

Continually Develop Your Employees

You’ve built an amazing team of talented people. But if you aren’t helping them learn, stretch and grow as professionals, you’re doing yourself, your employees and your entire company a disservice.

The great news? If you follow rule #1 and create a culture of empowerment, your employees will, by design, have ample opportunity to stretch their wings, take on more responsibility, and continually grow.

Beyond that, make professional development an integral part of every performance review. When you meet with each employee, revisit and update a three-to-five-year career-development plan that provides the challenge and clear direction he needs.

Connect the Dots

While it’s fairly easy for some employees (e.g., sales professionals) to understand their importance to your business, the value other employees (e.g., those who serve internal customers) provide may not be as apparent to them.

If you want to be an exceptional boss, make sure each employee understands the impact he makes on your organization. Help individuals understand your company’s “big picture” – and how their daily activities directly affect things like quality, efficiency, customer retention, and profitability. Finally, show your team the future of your organization – and their role in it. Doing so unites employees to work hard toward achieving long-term goals.

Walk the Walk

A great boss is only as good as his word. So make sure your words always match your behaviors – in everything you do, large and small. And, on the rare occasion, you can’t honor a commitment (for whatever reason), be forthright about the reason why. Even if you can’t live up to what you initially pledged, honest communication will help you preserve the trust and respect you’ve worked so hard to earn.

Want to be a Great Boss?

Build a great workplace with Exact Staff. With a full complement of national staffing and placement solutions, the Exact Family of Companies provides the right resources, exactly when you need them, to fuel success. To learn more about how we can help, schedule a free consultation today.