Be a good boss not only to yourself

By Klaus Döring

Ultimately, the choice between working for yourself or having a boss depends on what you value more: the freedom and potential rewards of entrepreneurship or the stability and support of traditional employment. Consider your personal goals, risk tolerance, and lifestyle preferences when making this decision.

A good boss is one who is kind, helpful, caring and compassionate. This does not mean that the boss should be a push-over, but rather the opposite is true. The boss should be confident enough to show their human side.

The main benefits of self-employment are the greater control and flexibility over your working schedule you will have in comparison to traditional employment. You may also feel a greater sense of satisfaction and fulfilment in your job knowing you are working for your own business.

A leader cares about the person more than his role. While a boss will have impersonal relationships with his employees, a leader will invest time in getting to know his team. Leaders invest time in their team to lay the foundations of trust which is crucial to team success.

Do you consider yourself to be a capable leader?

No or at least less capable than others. Certainly not, in the way that the general population is led to believe is the best direction to go in. I would not lead others on that route. We do all have areas to be an example for others. We all have ways to help others walk their path and offer guidance, suggestions and advice. So in a sense we all are already leaders. We all are already followers. More true than all of that is…

We all walk together. There are some in front of us and some in back of us. The front is not special. The back is not negative. Leaders are needy and dependent on followers. There is no such thing as a leader unless another chooses to follow them.

I do not envy leaders. I do not have anywhere to lead people to. If I did they would not follow. They are told to go in the same direction they always went. They think they are choosing by their own free will. That is how they are led to believe. It is how the old paradigm has operated.

Effective and efficient leadership could mean “exert impact on people with minimum time investment and effort”. I don’t think this is the way leadership is to be practiced and developed – at least not the social part of the role. If we define the goal of leadership as “living up to the mission with maximum care for people” then I am on board. Stating that leaders need to do the right things in an efficient way is, although correct, not explicit and helpful as such.

+++

Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn or visit www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com.