Being a boss, whether your own or to a multitude of people, can undoubtedly increase the pressure of being perfect and holding it all together, even when your brain is screaming for sleep and your ideas are forced to leap. What do you do at times like this? Take inspiration from your favourites!
We bring you expert advice from both good and bad on-screen bosses to present you with the best personality traits you can incorporate to have the qualities of a good boss.
Table of Contents
Know and Appreciate Your Employees – Leslie Knope from Parks & Recreation
Leslie Knope is passionate about her community and her team. She invests in her coworkers’ relationships by praising their accomplishments regularly. Her positive attitude has assisted her employees in pursuing their dreams and influencing change in their community. As someone with qualities of a good boss ,it is vital to know the employees, not only by their names but also by their achievements. When you praise your employees, it encourages and motivates them and assures them that they’re doing it right.
Accountability Counts – Captain Holt from Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Captain Holt is the 99th precinct’s respected commander. His leadership style is firm and commanding, and he fosters an accountability culture in which people are held accountable for their success. He provides feedback and mentorship with firm guidance when his officers are stuck. When your employees want to shine, make them responsible for their success without dictating their terms of success, and hold them accountable for their actions.
Embody Self Awareness – Jessica Pearson from Suits
Jessica is the embodiment of self-awareness. She demonstrates an understanding of her emotions, strengths and weaknesses and manages to distance herself from her emotions and past experiences. As a boss, it is easy to snap at others in the heat of the moment or be a beast under pressure, but being aware of your position and managing your emotions and your team makes for a good leader.
Maintain Professionalism and Boundaries – Michael Scott from The Office
This is a tip on how Not to be that boss. Michael Scott’s behaviour in The Office does not showcase the qualities of a good boss. This show teaches us a lesson in maintaining appropriate boundaries between bosses and employees. Learn to strike a balance between being friendly with your team and understanding that you are responsible for their productivity and success. Michael Scott is overly friendly and picks favourites within a group; never be that boss as that is blatant disrespect towards other employees who work equally hard.
Your Employees are People first – Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada
Miranda Priestly was a fashion icon but did not have the qualities of a good boss. She constantly forgot her secretary’s name and humiliated her for how she dressed, thereby destroying the secretary’s confidence. People often feared her instead of respecting her because of her superiority complex. Always establish mutual respect between yourself and your employees instead of building an ideal image. A scary boss can get your employees to fear you instead of respect you.
Learning is a Curve – Jules from The Intern
Jules is a boss who has an immense passion for her work, and she doesn’t mind juggling a few more projects if it brings her company the success she wants. However, she learns from Ben, a 70-year-old, that sometimes taking life easy is also a choice, and Ben learns about a whole new genre by the end of the movie. Here, a boss and a septuagenarian intern show a remarkable bond while learning from each other through different ages and emotional stages. Learning is a never-ending process for people, for every boss was once an intern.
Build Connections – Olivia Pope From Scandal
Olivia Pope was the US President’s Crisis Manager. She had connections with everyone she met along the way, and these contacts helped her during enormous mismanagement crises. The job description inadvertently holds a crisis manager as a side job for a boss. You never know who could help you, so it is essential to build connections with everyone and widen your network to market your company.
Patience is Penance – Sansa Stark from Game Of Thrones
Sansa Stark went through immense hardship to become the Queen of The North; she underwent traumatic situations that only hardened her resolve to gain the throne for justice to her people. The advice here is to remain patient and wait for the results. A boss’s behaviour reflects on their employees, so it is necessary to be a source of inspiration during those tough times and be a person of hope.
Don’t Take things Personally – Mr Burns from Simpsons
Mr Burns was the worst boss in animation history. He neglected his employees’ health and underpaid them while making them work to their maximum potential. As a boss, you set an example for your employees to treat other people respectfully and reward them well when they work hard. Always ensure that the office is a safe space for people to do what they love in a healthy environment.
Self Care – Mindy Lahiri from The Mindy Project
Mindy Lahiri does a fantastic job having the qualities of a good boss and goes the extra mile towards self-care for her happiness by getting out of her work zone. Being a boss can be exhausting at times, and at the end of the week, you’d be tempted to take a small nap for a long time; our advice is to Take That Nap.
Being a boss is a job, not your life. There’s a life outside your title, so let your hair down at times and dive for your happiness. We hope these tips help you become the best version of the boss you can be.
