"Good Boss? Bad Boss?"

If you're like me, you've been the boss of your own business for a long time. And sometimes when you’ve been your own boss for a long time, you forget what it was like being an employee.

But the question today is this - "Does the boss of any business and the way he treats his employees have anything to do with the success or failure of that business?" The answer to that question is an emphatic "yes".

But, let's get real close to home - if you are an employer, do your employees consider you to be a good boss or a bad boss? And, are your employees doing their best for you?

I recently came across a list of the character qualities needed to be a good boss.

1. One successful business owner says that a boss must be the morale leader in the company. And if you're the boss and you're feeling lousy or out of sorts, watch out! Your attitude will spread like a plague. He says that if he wakes up in a bad mood, he doesn't even go near his store. Very interesting.
2. Donald Peterson, the past CEO of Ford Motor Company, says a good boss is a good role model. He says that it's what we do as a boss that counts, not what we say. A good boss is consistent, predictable, and dependable. Good points.
3. A good boss is a good delegator. You have to be able to give a job to your employee and, after they know what to do, leave them alone. And sometimes being a micro-manager makes the employee feel that you lack confidence in their ability to perform.
4. Good bosses aren't always popular. I know that in my business I have to make decisions that aren't always so popular. But it's important for me to do the right thing for the business regardless of the popularity or not, and, hopefully, as time goes on, those working for me will grow to respect my ability to make hard decisions.
5. Fred Bucy, past president of Texas Instruments, says that a good boss must be flexible. He says it doesn't require any real talent to give orders. But it does take continued discipline to study the variety of people you are leading, in order to understand what it takes to motivate them and to inspire them to do their very best to make the company and themselves a success. Those are great words.
6. And, finally, if I might add one of my own – I pray a lot. I asked God to help me to be a good boss.

Well, that's all for now. Until next week, be a good boss and don't forget "It’s Your Money"!