How to be a good boss

You are a very lucky person. Trust me, if you don’t know this yet, learn it now. Not everyone can be responsible, not everyone can manage their own department or their own life. So if you're the boss, don't rub it in your face and think about how amazing you are, just quietly consider how lucky you are. Because this position could go to anyone else. And someday in the future it will be someone else's. I see myself as a steward of a brand, and I hope that the day I leave, the brand remains the same, if not better. But I'm lucky to have this opportunity. If you're the boss, it's luck.

So, having established that mindset, you must learn not to be selfish in your position, or, more importantly, make sure you don't become a wimp yourself. I've seen many people become arrogant fools when they get a little bit of power, and the worst ones are people who lord it over their employees. Don't do it just because you can. It's very childish, and absolutely no one will respect you for it, least of all the people you're yelling at.

What do people want from their boss? guide. There are very few people in my office who can do my job as well as I do. Some may do a little worse than me, some may do much better than me...but they will definitely do it differently than me. When doing business, especially when creativity is required, there is no single solution, no single thread to follow. According to the words of an old boss of mine, "There is always more than one way to kill a pig." (Trust me, he is much more charming in real life.)

So your method is not the only one method, but that is just the only method at present. So tell people what it is, tell them which direction to go, and tell them how to get there. Tell them what to do and then let them do it. There's a lot more work for you to do after this, trust me: firefighting, breaking boundaries, crisis management, and reaffirming that the art director doesn't hate the photo editor (even when he does). Being a boss doesn't just mean being in charge, it means leading; and the best bosses lead from the front. No aspect of your decision should be vague unless that's how you want them to be (more on that later). You are exercising a dictatorship of love, so tell people what to do, and tell them correctly. Your office, your understanding, is not a democracy. As Henry Ford said, back in the old days, "If I had asked the public what they wanted, they would have said some faster horses."

That doesn't mean you have to be right. Your employee has a bad attitude (the opposite is always true), but that requires a big plan, a big plan largely made by you. Be kind to people. Pay them a decent salary. Give them freedom. Give them the freedom to express themselves. Make sure they know what they are supposed to do, and then make sure they do exactly what you want them to do. But give them space to do it their way.

Don’t be the initiator of the “banana problem.” The "banana problem" means an obstacle that arises from constant tinkering and not knowing when to stop (declaring an idea dead, deciding you've done enough research, or entering the market). This expression is thought to originate from the story of a child who said "I know how to spell banana, but I just don't know when to stop."

No bullshit, no bullshit, and Don't prevaricate. Always have an idea. Even saying "I haven't figured out what to do yet" is a positive idea. Don’t leave a meeting with the conclusion, “Well, Mike, if you could call Arcadia, Nick, if you could call PMK, and, Alex, if you go Solve Dubai's problems..." Not only does this show weakness on your part (why do you use "if"? Are you too embarrassed to tell people what to do?), it also shows ambiguity. Instead, say, "Mike, you're going to deal with Arcadia; Nick, you're going to deal with PMK; and Tim, put Herbs aside and find a photographer for Friday. OK , thank you all, that’s it.” End and leave. Don't be rude, but never be shy about making decisions.

Never put off difficult or potentially unmanageable discussions. If someone needs a lesson, say something bad; if someone disobeys you - even slightly - or gives you signs of trouble ahead, deal with it now... not tomorrow, no Not next week, but now. If someone deserves praise, don't delay; say it right away. Everyone rejoices when they are praised. Everyone has self-esteem and everyone likes to know they're doing a good job - so if someone is doing well, tell them. Sometimes in private, sometimes in public. You might want them to feel special, or you might want the whole office to know how great they are. Either way, tell them.

You must never forget to listen to what your employees have to say - you pay them to have ideas, remember this - because not only does it empower them, it also makes it easier for you to make decisions .

If their advice sounds right and is better than your own decision, use it. You're still in charge because you made the decision to adopt their idea. Your office doesn’t need to be full of “nodding” people. You don’t know everything, and if you hire the right people, your employees should be able to teach you a lot. So let them do it. If they make a mistake, you can correct them.