You cannot consider yourself as a good manager if your inference is based on the satisfaction expressed by your employees. On the other hand you can proclaim that you are a good boss if your productivity is better than the others. Being a good manager is to a certain extent a combination of those things. You have to be good with your employees and at the same time ensure productivity is achieved in order to sustain the successful operations of any business. There are so many theories postulated about how to do this but this article will give you a simple list of them, compiled from all those theories for you to refer easily. These are simple traits that are both practical and easy to implement by any manager or business owner immediately.



First and foremost trait is to listen to your employees. Following this simple aspect helps to achieve two purposes. When you listen to your employees, you will be able to know their concerns and at the same time, you will be able to know the state of your business. After all, the first people that will tell you how the company is faring are the people who are on the front line ? your employees.

The next trait that you should possess when you are a boss is to welcome conflicts. Conflict in general is a bad aspect but it is very worthy when you know what all benefits it does for you. For example, consider a hypothetical conflict with your assistant manager who does not understand or support your idea. To get some benefit out of this conflict, talk to the assistant manager and ask for a detailed explanation proving that the idea is wrong. This will correct your mistakes and help you to learn new things. On the other hand, if your assistant manager is wrong, you can explain everything to him and correct him. If your assistant manager improves, it will be beneficial to your business. Hence conflicts can aid in helping and improving the knowledge of each other.

The third trait expected in you is to be firm in you decisions. This trait is more powerful than what you expect it to be. Once you set an example for the other workers by firing someone, they might begin working really hard for the fear of losing their jobs. But on the contrary, if they realize that you are just issuing a bare threat, they will be sloppy on their jobs and your business will be at loss. If you do not implement a decision firmly, your workers will think that you are under confident and will ignore you in your future decisions also. To show them that you mean what you say, get people to work by terminating those who do not perform proper work and have bad etiquette or who do not meet the standards of your company. This will ensure that you retain only the best employees and you mean business.

Contrary to the previous trait, where in you exhibited your firmness by firing those who are not doing their job, you also have to posses the fourth trait of appreciating and commending the people who are doing their job very well. There are so many companies who are efficient in firing incompetent people while ignoring those who do their job well. If you have a small business and you see good people, appreciate their work and provide complements or even a promotion. This will be an inspiration to other workers to work hard and prevent you from losing good people, especially to your competition.

These are the traits that you should develop in you as a manager or boss. Giving due to those who do well and punishing those who are not performing well will ensure that you have the company running in the direction of success all the time.