...seven

Here are seven truths I've discovered in my struggles to be an effective boss:

It's not what you say that matters; it's what people hear. Just because you said it doesn't mean they heard it. Just because you wrote it doesn't mean they read it. Be sure your message is received and understood.

There are lots of things you don't know and lots of people who hope you don't find out. The boss rarely hears the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. You've got to walk around, look around, listen, and ask direct questions.

Hire for character, train for skills. Integrity, responsibility, and the ability to work with others are vital competencies. You've got to screen out or weed out people you can't believe or rely on or who are toxic to the team.

Settling for warm bodies turns one problem into two. You still have to get someone who's right for the job, but first you have to deal with and remove the wrong person. If you can't find the time to do it right, when will you find the time to do it over?

What you allow, you encourage. If you don't enforce your values and rules, they're not your values and they're not rules.

Doing nothing is doing something. Indecision and inaction cause as much harm as poor decisions. Indecisiveness is incompetence.

It's all about relationships. Your most important job is to get the most out of the people who work with you. You've got to be ready to be a boss, motivator, mentor, counselor, disciplinarian, or friend.

-character counts