If you are a boss, protect your people

Posted by Ann Deaton Share Your Voice

In the September 2010 issue of the Harvard Business Review, Robert Sutton's article "The Boss as Human Shield" is chock full of tips for bosses in how to protect their employees from intrusions that keep them from being productive. Sutton points out that "When you plant a seed, you don't dig it up every week to see how it's doing." Yet some bosses saddle their employees with too many meetings, too little respect and way too many hoops to jump through to get their jobs done. You'll appreciate reading Sutton's entire article. But until you do, here are some tips from Sutton:

• If you call a meeting, be on time. It shows respect to others.
• Create the mutual trust and safety necessary so that people can disagree with one another (and you) constructively.
• When someone makes the occasional mistake, even a significant one, take the heat for them instead of throwing them under the bus.

What are the other things you do to protect your workers so that they can focus on being productive? What positive impact does your commitment have on your employees' loyalty and engagement?

⇐ Previous Post: If you are a boss, pro... Next Post: Polarity Management - ... ⇒

Ann Deaton I am a leadership coach, and Managing Partner in Bounce. I love to coach and facilitate with individuals and systems experiencing significant change and growth. The clients I work with, regardless of their age or position, are talented and creative individuals willing to look with fresh eyes at their challenges and opportunities, and to take action based on their discoveries. As a result, they find that they are capable of accomplishing far greater things than they ever imagined. What do you want to accomplish today? Who do you want to be?