24 signs you’re a good boss

good-boss

It’s lonely at the top.

Being the boss comes with a ton of pressure. And when you’re in a management position, it can be difficult to evaluate how you’re doing.

Are you striking the right balance between commanding respect and appearing accessible? Are your employees responding well to your style of leadership? Are any of your actions breeding resentment in the office?

Being a good boss is crucial for your organization — a third of employees in one survey revealed they’d quit a job due to a bad manager, as Business Insider previously reported.

So how can managers tell if they’re doing a good job? You can’t exactly go wandering around the office asking people — that would look pretty weak. Employee satisfaction and engagement surveys aren’t a bad idea.

Here are other, more subtle signs that you’re killing it as the boss:

You don’t have obvious favorites

Playing favorites is a great way to torpedo office morale. If you make it clear that a certain person is the apple of your eye no matter what, that’ll just encourage your other employees to give up on trying to impress you.

You treat your employees like human beings

Unfortunately, some bosses seem to feel that hurling insults and abuse at people is an effective motivational technique. In most cases, this simply isn’t true. If you value your employees as human being, you’re already a huge step above many managers.

You’re willing to try new things

Good bosses adopt certain methods because they’re the best way of doing things — not because they’ve just fallen into certain habits. The best managers give their employees a little room to experiment and innovate.

You hold everyone accountable

Maintaining accountability is a big part of office morale and encourages workers to act with integrity, leading to an excellent workplace culture.

… Including yourself

Good bosses don’t pick a scapegoat or explain away mistakes. In fact, experienced managers admit it when they fail in order to create a workplace that’s a safe environment for experimentation.

You ask politely

Insecure bosses bark out orders and behave like divas in order to establish their dominance. If you always say the magic word and are generally polite, that’s definitely a good sign.

You give support

Bosses should build trust with their employees by providing a reasonable amount of support and guidance. Obviously, you don’t need to hold anyone’s hand, but throwing people in the deep end isn’t ideal either.

You remove obstacles

Bad bosses throw up roadblocks that make it harder for people to succeed and do their jobs. Great managers should actively work to make the lives of their employees easier.

You’re a good coach

Coaches don’t just sit back on the sidelines twiddling their thumbs. They don’t run onto the field and start playing either (unless they’re that one scary dad that takes the youth recreational soccer league way too seriously).

Good bosses are like good coaches — they command respect and provide the right blend of praise and constructive criticism to bring out the best in their employees.

You’re able to manage expectations

Bad bosses often disappoint or confuse their teams by presenting inaccurate pictures about how things are at the office (e.g. talking up how well the company’s doing and then springing news of layoffs on everyone). Good managers are honest and open.

You give feedback

Good employees crave feedback, to learn how they can improve and grow. Great bosses are happy to oblige.

You keep the environment open and transparent

Transparency makes for a happy office culture.

You ask for insight

Employees want to feel heard.

Obviously, at the end of the day, you’re responsible for making the final judgment. But once in a while, if the situation calls for, good bosses reach out to their workers to get their insight and opinions.

You explain yourself

Good managers don’t expect anyone to read their minds. They outline a clear vision and provide their team with the knowledge and tools to achieve it.

You care about solutions

When the going gets tough, the weak bosses find someone to blame. Good managers focus on finding a solution to the problem, rather than throwing people under the bus.

You care about challenging your employees

Bored workers are unhappy workers. The best bosses check in with their workers to ensure that they’re being challenged.

You don’t micromanage, but you’re not too hands-off

Carefully examine the capabilities of your workers in order to achieve a good balance. Could you give any of them more responsibilities? Is there anything you can start delegating?

You check in with your employees

You don’t pop in to nag people like Lumbergh in “Office Space.” You genuinely check in to talk to (not at) your employees, in order to find out their goals and worries.

You have sense of humor

It’s important to never take the joking too far in the office. That being said, good bosses take their work seriously — not themselves. It’s good to have a laugh with your employees.

You care about the dreams and goals of your employees

The best bosses are invested in their employees. That means they’re actively concerned with the professional goals and aspirations of their workers.

You’re not nice just for the sake of being nice

Being too nice of a boss can actually be rather cruel, as Betty Liu points out in her LinkedIn piece. Artificially sweet managers heap on undeserved praise, then yank the rug out from under their employees later on.

So don’t play nice because you don’t like conflict. Be authentic and real with your workers, you’ll be doing them a big favor.

You’re a good listener

This is the main reason why introverts make quite good bosses.

Many people have had a manager that loved to talk. Rarer (and infinitely more appreciated) are those bosses who are quality listeners. Good listening skills shows your employees that you’re seriously considering their opinions and needs.

You take an interest in your employees’ lives

Good bosses don’t cross the line into nosiness. Still, they care enough to ask about peoples’ summer plans, kids, and elderly parents. This interest will demonstrate to employees that their boss actually cares about them, making both parties more invested in their working relationship.

You tailor your approach

Different employees have different needs. One-size-fits-all just isn’t going to cut it in the workplace. The best bosses are flexible. This allows them to fulfill all sorts of roles in order to better cater to the needs of their workers.

* This post originally appeared on businessinsider.com

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