I am just finishing up on my first book ever. Yeah!
The book is titled “My Best Boss Ever.”
It is a collection of stories of people I have met and interviewed all over the country. In planes, airports, and conferences where I have presented I asked them this simple question, “Who is your best boss ever and why?” Not a perfect boss, but your best boss. There were tons of great stories from people and amazing lessons. Here is just one of the stories that is included in the book. It is designed to be a guide for managers on what employees look for from their managers. The stories have softened my spirit and reaffirmed my belief in leaders who truly care.
My best boss had the great mantra, “Never say what they can say, never do what they can do.”
When talking with an employee, he said that asking questions and listening are a managers most powerful tools. He once told me, “If you ask, you can never say anything wrong. If you talk too much, you can put yourself in a position where the wrong thing pops out.” Observing him, I saw that he always was asking questions about the family. He didn’t do this to solely keep from saying the wrong thing; he did it because he cared. He was always asking, “How is this project going? Do you need any of my help?” He would allow us to describe our situation while he pulled up a seat and listened intently. He would even seek us out to ask our advice on certain situations he was presented with.
He taught me that coaching means asking questions, not just gathering facts. He would truly hear an employee’s suggested solution—their feelings—and see how he could work the new perspective into the master plan.
The second part of his advice was as strong as the first. He would show us a job and then would hop out and switch the chair. He would make me sit down and then he would have me show him how to do it. I remember him showing me how to use the computer system when I first started at the company. He entered some orders so I knew the process, but then handed me a stack of ten, switched the chair, and watched me input them to make sure I did it right. It wasn’t intrusive; he was merely being there for me if I had any questions. He also complemented my ability to catch on quickly and my accuracy in typing.
When I asked him one day to explain how he developed his mantra, he replied, “Our objective is to develop employees. Asking them questions challenges them to think harder and more broadly about issues. That enlarges their perspective and improves their reasoning skills. But more importantly, it allows them to buy into the whole process.” By asking questions, the employee says it, not the manager. That way, the employee learns it, and the manager learns about the strengths and abilities of the employee.
In developing employees, you want to make sure that you ask questions, listen. Great sales coaches listen, and advise. Please remember, ‘never say what they can say, and never do what they can do.’