Travis Bradberry* outlines the qualities that turn merely good leaders into unforgettable ones and says anyone can learn to cultivate them.
Google has topped Fortune Magazine’s list of the 100 best companies to work for on several occasions.
Most people assume this is because of its great benefits and all of the fun and perks they pack into the Googleplex.
However, that’s just part of the equation.
Google knows people don’t leave companies; they leave bosses, but unlike most companies, who wait for the right bosses to come along, Google builds each Googler the boss of their dreams.
Their people analytics team starts by researching the qualities that make managers great at Google.
These managers aren’t just high performers; they receive high marks for their leadership from the people that report to them.
They’re the managers everyone wants to work for.
Next, Google builds a training program that teaches every manager how to embrace these qualities.
Once managers complete the program, Google measures their behaviour to ensure they are morphing into managers that Googlers want to work for.
Google is building bosses that are so good, they’re unforgettable — and unforgettable bosses change us for the better.
They see more in us than we see in ourselves, and they help us learn to see it too. They dream big and show us all the great things we can accomplish.
When I ask audiences to describe the best and worst boss they have ever worked for, people inevitably ignore innate characteristics such as intelligence, attractiveness, and so on.
Instead, they focus on qualities that are completely under the boss’s control, such as passion, insight, and honesty.
Google’s program isn’t the only way to become a boss people want to work for.
Any of us can study the following qualities of unforgettable bosses to learn valuable skills and inspire people.
They are passionate, first and foremost
Few things are more demotivating than a boss who is bored with his or her life and job.
Unforgettable bosses are passionate about what they do. They believe in what they’re trying to accomplish, and they have fun doing it.
This makes everyone else want to join the ride.
They sacrifice themselves for their people
Some bosses will throw their people under the bus without a second thought.
Great bosses pull their people from the bus’s path before they’re in danger.
They coach, and they move obstacles out of the way, even if their people put those obstacles there in the first place.
Sometimes, they clean up messes their people never even knew they made.
If they can’t stop the bus, they’ll jump out in front of it and take the hit themselves.
They play chess not checkers
Think about the difference. In checkers, all the pieces are basically the same.
That’s a poor model for leadership because nobody wants to feel like a faceless cog in the proverbial wheel.
In chess each piece has its own role, ability and limitation.
Unforgettable bosses are like great chess masters. They recognise what’s unique about each member of their team.
They know their strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes, and they use these insights to draw the very best from each individual.
They are who they are, all the time
They don’t lie to cover up their mistakes, and they don’t make false promises.
Their people don’t have to exert energy trying to figure out their motives or predicting what they’re going to do next.
Instead of hoarding information and being secretive to boost their own power, they share information and knowledge generously.
They are a port in a storm
They don’t get rattled, even when everything is going haywire.
Under immense pressure, they act like Eugene Kranz, Flight Director for the Apollo 13 Mission.
In the moments after the on-board explosion, when death looked certain and panic seemed the only option, Kranz kept his cool.
“Okay, now, let’s everybody keep cool. Let’s solve the problem, but let’s not make it any worse by guessing,” he said.
In those initial moments, he had no idea how they were going to get the astronauts home, but, as he later explained: “You do not pass uncertainty down to your team members.”
People who’ve worked for an unforgettable boss often look back later and marvel at their coolness under pressure.
That’s why, decades after Apollo 13, people are still talking about Eugene Kranz and his leadership during that crisis.
They are human, and aren’t afraid to show it
They’re personable and easy to relate to. They’re warm.
They realise that people have emotions, and they aren’t afraid to express their own.
They relate to their people as a person first and a boss second.
On the other hand, they know how to keep their emotions in check when the situation calls for it.
Their work is truly a team effort
People feel accomplished when group goals are met.
Since these bosses don’t believe they are above anyone or anything, they openly address their mistakes so that everyone can learn from them.
Their modesty sets a tone of humility and strength that everyone else follows.
For many unforgettable bosses things clicked once they stopped thinking about what their people could do for them and started thinking about what they could do to help their people succeed.
Inspire. Teach. Protect. Remove obstacles. Be human.
If you cultivate these characteristics, you’ll become the boss your people will remember for the rest of their careers.
*Travis Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, and the co-founder of TalentSmart. He can be contacted at talentsmart.com.
This article first appeared at talentsmart.com.
