What Great Bosses Know

Calm in the storm: it is the gift leaders share with their teams. It helps people do their best work, even when the stakes and high and the pressure is intense. Great bosses understand that their mood and tone are contagious. Unfortunately, many bosses spread anxiety and confusion during crisis because they don't value or haven't chosen to be calm in a crisis. Want to build that skill? The Poynter Institute's leadership expert Jill Geisler shares some tips.

Coaching, when done right, helps employees grow their skills. Why, then, do so many bosses just fix things rather than coach people? The Poynter Institute's leadership expert Jill Geisler believes it is because most bosses were promoted for their craft skills -- and few received any training in coaching. But they can learn how to stop fixing and start coaching, making things better for everyone.

Mediocrity is a challenge for bosses. In the fattest of times, managers might let lackluster performance slide, but in tough times every team member needs to pull his or her weight -- and then some. So, how do great bosses help people move up from mediocrity? The Poynter Institute's Jill Geisler shares tips.

Listening is an important but often elusive skill of bosses. They're busy and multitasking and often fail to give employees their full attention. But multi-taskers aren't the only lousy listeners. The Poynter Institute's leadership expert Jill Geisler identifies nine more and hopes you don't see yourself in this crowd.

"Evil Twins" cause a good deal of trouble for bosses. The Poynter Institute's leadership and management expert Jill Geisler believes most bosses have an Evil Twin. She developed her Evil Twin theory after seeing feedback on hundreds of managers that demonstrated a disconnect between the boss and the staff's perception of a boss's actions. For example: good managers who view themselves as "not asking anything of you that I wouldn't do myself" can be seen by their staff as their Evil Twin, the "Micromanager". So how do we control those Evil Twins? Jill shares advice in this podcast.

Feedback is something employees crave and bosses should provide. Why is it that bosses overestimate the quality and quantity of the positive feedback they provide? The Poynter Institute's leadership and management expert Jill Geisler offers some insights into why the gap exists and what bosses can do about it.

Praise can be powerful but it can also present pitfalls. Great bosses know why, when and how to praise so it provides motivation, not manipulation. The Poynter Institute's leadership and management expert Jill Geisler shares six ways to effective praise.

Mistakes are a manager's enemy. But many bosses take such a heavy-handed approach to mistakes that they cause additional problems. Have you ever been told you overreact to mistakes? The Poynter Institute's leadership and management expert Jill Geisler takes a look at two reasons bosses overreact and some better approaches to minimizing mistakes.

Missteps with e-mail can undermine a boss's effectiveness. Great bosses know that e-mail can cause needless work, hard feelings and misunderstandings. They know how to avoid its pitfalls and leverage its strengths. The Poynter Institute's leadership and management expert Jill Geisler shares a simple, practical step managers can take to make their e-mails more effective.

Power comes with the territory for managers. But great bosses know that power has its limits and it is influence that can really get things done. Influential people are found at all levels of the organization. Do you have influence? The Poynter Institute's Leadership and Management Group Leader, Jill Geisler, gives you a quiz.

Work-life balance is a term we often use to talk about finding happiness in our careers and home lives. Great bosses know that balance rarely exists, but they can help employees find work-life harmony. In this podcast, The Poynter Institute's leadership and management expert Jill Geisler shares the story of how one prominent leader made harmony a priority for his hard working staff and how it paid off.

Delegating doesn't always come easy to managers. Even really good ones struggle with sending work away -- or sharing it with others. Today, The Poynter Institute's leadership and management expert Jill Geisler shares four barriers to delegation - and how to get around them.

Venting -- letting off steam when a boss, colleague or employee lets you down -- is something managers need to do keep their sanity. But done poorly, it is likely to do more harm than good. Poynter's leadership and management expert Jill Geisler believes every manager needs a "Safe Venting Zone." She describes what it is, who's there -- and why venting to staff is tempting but unwise.

Opening lines are more powerful than you think. Great bosses know that that first words they say can set the tone for an entire interaction. Today, Poynter's leadership expert Jill Geisler talks about the first thing a boss says, why it is so important when the boss is coaching, and how she proves that through a teaching exercise.

Compromise isn't always the best approach to negotiation or conflict resolution. Great bosses - and colleagues - know which approaches work best in various situations. They also recognize their own "default" style and when they need to work around it. Poynter's leadership expert Jill Geisler explains.

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