15 Ways Good Bosses Keep Their Best Employees

1. They stop by.

Whether it’s the person who visits a coworker in the hospital or the manager who walks to the employee’s office, there can be a powerful signal in the willingness to be there. That’s one reason why Management By Wandering Around can have such impact. People want leaders who know what their work area is like and who are not above dropping by to chat.

2. They return calls and E-mails.

When you don’t return a call, that’s the silent way of saying, “You don’t count.” If you’re busy, leave a quick message to buy time for a more lengthy discussion, but get back to the person. With E-mail, unfortunately, our technology gives us new and faster ways to show our indifference.

3. They don't fire for every mistake.

Many employees fear that they will be set adrift in the wake of a reasonable decision that didn’t work out, or after a minor blunder. They worry that for all of the talk about loyalty, if loyalty becomes inconvenient, management will not support them. Vague standards and arbitrary enforcement of rules foster that fear. Employees gain confidence when they know where the swamps are and how to avoid them.

4. They listen well.

I knew an executive whose career success was widely attributed to his extraordinary ability to listen. When he was with you, he was with you. Some tips: Listen for the main message. Subdue your ego—stop thinking about the eloquence of your reply or whether the speaker is indirectly talking about you. Let your body language declare, “I’m paying close attention.”

5. They are servant-leaders.

One extraordinary leader I knew operated with the rule that his followers should be consulted, developed, and praised. When the media came to cover accomplishments of his department, others were permitted to take credit. I would rate him as one of the toughest leaders I’ve ever encountered. But the team was always his focus. He spent time in the field listening to people, joking with them, and searching for ways to remove obstacles.

6. They build trust through courage and discretion

There are moments when courage demands less discretion and greater candor, and when discretion restrains courage. Both qualities require the regulator of good judgment. They are essential, however, if you are going to succeed in the workplace and, for that matter, in life.

7. They give just enough information.

NETMA (Nobody Ever Tells Me Anything) is a major problem in many organizations. Employees aren’t briefed on activities directly related to their jobs and the rumor mill thrives. But what about ETMTM (Everyone Tells Me Too Much)? More information does not give you more power. It simply gives you more information. If employees have little power to alter events, learning more may simply fuel their frustration.

8. They delegate.

You will not be an effective manager unless you learn how to delegate. The question, “Should I be handling this?” must be asked frequently if you are to develop your associates, build a strong team, and avoid being swamped.

9. They advocate for going slow.

An African leader once admonished his followers that they must go slowly because they were in a hurry. President Dwight Eisenhower used to tell his cabinet: “Let’s not be a hurry to make our mistakes.” We should remove the stigma that is too often attached to the individual who is unwilling to rattle off solutions. Those fast answers are often eloquent, witty, and wrong.

10. They aren't afraid to set tough standards and confront.

Unfortunately, far too many new supervisors equate being demanding with being cruel, unpleasant, or uncaring. They seek an arrangement with the employees in which neither side demands too much from the other. In their quest to be kind, they can create a highly demoralizing environment for those who are looking for challenging and meaningful work.

11. They check up on details.

We shy away from details because we don’t want to micromanage. At the same time, we are reluctant to create systems because we don’t want to be bureaucratic. And then we wonder why we get ambushed by small things and why our performance is inconsistent. The details do not take care of themselves. Someone needs to check them.

12. They motivate by getting out of the way.

Eliminate those weekly staff meetings that have turned into giant time wasters. Only hold meetings that are necessary. Replace the stirring speeches with as many one-on-one meetings as possible. Ask employees what stands in their way. Keep a commitment to reducing or eliminating anything that is unnecessarily hindering your employees.

13. They get rid of negative energy people.

These characters can destroy a team’s morale within minutes and create an environment in which other people don’t want to come to work. They may be bright and talented, but something happened along the way that soured them. Don’t leave them in a job in which they can bring down the spirits of others. They are a bad fit.

14. They praise employees the right way.

No back-handed compliments. No praise inflation. Show sincerity, genuine enthusiasm, and good timing. A lack of appreciation is often cited as a reason people leave jobs, so many organizations encourage supervisors to heap on the praise. It's a good example of how the opposite of a poor practice is not always a good practice. Handled poorly, praise can be a de-motivator and even a form of humiliation.

15. They go see.

E-mail, video conferencing, and speaker phones can convey a feeling of closeness, but they are shadows of what can be noticed when you are alert and on-site. The intangibles don’t tend to get into reports and flowcharts and yet they can trump everything else. In order to find them and measure their significance, you have to go see. Let the accountants groan about your travel budget. There is no substitute for being there.

10 Signs You Have a Bad Boss

Everyone likes to complain about their boss now and then, but here are 10 signs that you have a truly bad boss, the kind worth getting away from. And if you’re a manager and recognize yourself in any of the below, it’s time to immediately send yourself to manager rehab!

1. Yelling. Managers who yell actually diminish their own authority because they look out of control. After all, a manager confident in her own authority doesn’t need to yell because she has far more effective tools available to her. Don’t yell, and don’t work for yellers.

2. Fuzzy expectations. If your manager doesn’t communicate clear, concrete goals for your work, and convey to you what success in your position would look like, she’s falling down on one of her most important jobs. A good test: If you and your manager were both asked what’s most important for you to achieve this year, would your answers match?

3. Unreliability. She says she’ll review your report by Tuesday, but it doesn’t happen. She promises to join you for your important meeting but doesn’t make it. She says she’ll forward you a client’s contact info, but it never arrives. You need to be able to rely on your manager to do what she says she’s going to do, just as she needs to rely on you for the same.

4. Unwillingness to make decisions. This often takes the form of managers neglecting to address performance problems or not firing low performers. But it surfaces in other ways too, like not taking responsibility for moving work forward or punting in favor of trying to reach consensus.

5. Unreasonable demands. Holding staffers to a high standard is a good thing. But insisting that people work over the weekend to complete a project that isn’t time-sensitive, or demanding that an employee do the truly impossible, is the mark of a tyrant.

6. Indirectness. When a manager sugarcoats to the point that her message is missed, or presents requirements as mere suggestions, staffers end up confused about expectations, and the manager ends up frustrated that her “suggestions” weren’t acted upon.

7. Ruling by fear. Managers who rule through rigid control, negativity, and a climate of anxiety and fear don’t trust that they can get things done any other way. Of course, it backfires in the end because fearful employees won’t bring up new ideas for fear of being attacked and won’t be honest about problems. Moreover, very few great people with options are going to want to work for a fear-based manager.

8. Defensiveness. Managers who respond defensively when their decisions are questioned end up quashing dissent and making employees less likely to suggest new and different ways of doing things. Managers who are secure in their authority aren’t threatened by dissent, and they recognize that others’ ideas are sometimes better than their own.

9. Drama. A good manager minimizes drama, rather than causing it. If everything is a crisis around your manager, she’s probably what’s at the center of the problem.

10. Fear of conflict. If your manager avoids conflict and tough conversations, chances are high that employees don’t hear much feedback and problems don’t get addressed.

Shoddy Employee? You Could Be an Entrepreneur

Being bad at your current job might just be your cue to start an entrepreneurial career.

At a recent meeting, I heard the story of someone who announced that she was "smarter than everyone else in the company" and that she had been fired because the boss was jealous and insecure. While the room laughed at the perceived arrogance, I couldn't help but wonder, "Is this visitor delusional, or is she an undiscovered entrepreneur?"

Entrepreneurs often get a bad--though sometimes well-deserved--reputation for having a big ego. But what they may lack in humility is certainly compensated for by their sense of empowerment, fulfillment, and freedom. In fact, some of the worst employees make the best entrepreneurs and are often considered--by the corporate world at least--to be unemployable. Even more so, all current entrepreneurs had that moment when they knew that the promises of a traditional job or workenvironment would pale in comparison to a new opportunity.

Do you recognize the signs that a traditional workplace isn't for you? How do you know when it's time to take the leap?

Here are three signs you possess the skills it takes to be an effective entrepreneur:

Sign No. 1: You're Quick to Start, But Slow to Finish

In the Kolbe Index Test, entrepreneurs often score high in the Quick Start action mode and lower in the Implementor and Follow Thru action modes. This is because the big dreams of entrepreneurship often trigger hundreds of ideas. But for an employer, this type of team member is hard to manage when it comes to finishing projects and staying on task.

These personalities are best described as expanders--a little bit like bread dough that's infused with too much yeast. The entrepreneur who is an expander works best with a team or partner who can act as the container, one who reins in the expansion and supports with all the details. The corporate world attempts to beat the rising dough back into the smallest container possible, while entrepreneurship relies upon expansion and growth.

It's difficult to leave tasks unfinished in a traditional business environment, even when it becomes apparent that the goals have changed or the outcomes are not achievable. In this situation, an entrepreneur will see a new path--or 15 new paths--and want to jump into a new project with a greater chance of success. However, the same individual working a 9-to-5 will often drag out a project, never reach completion, but be unable to abandon it due to office politics or sunken costs.

Sign No. 2: You Can't Leave Good Enough Alone

For the cubicle-dwelling entrepreneur, few things are more frustrating than seeing opportunities to grow or transform a business go ignored. For the company, this desire to tinker with what's working well is viewed as meddlesome, encouraged (in small doses), or outright prohibited.

For established companies who have figured it all out, the entrepreneur's desire to improve, test, and try new ways of working can be threatening or viewed as a waste of time. The admonishment to just get the work done or leave good enough alone is frustrating to the entrepreneur who thrives in circumstances where convergent thinking is less important than following the rules.

While many entrepreneurs work with mentors, coaches, and colleagues to avoid reinventing the wheel, it's often the on-the-ground thinking that contributes to success. Seeing many paths and outcomes, judging the best one for the circumstances, and then implementing it is fun for the person who can't leave it alone. It's also essential to adaptive growth.

Sign No. 3: You Love Lazy Shortcuts

An entrepreneur has the tendency to find new paths and solutions, which often results in discovering shortcuts previously unseen. To some, this is seen as laziness. Three years ago, I was in my downtown office on a quiet Friday afternoon when nearly the entire office had left for the day. It was then that I heard the ironic judgment that propelled me into an entrepreneurial lifestyle:

"We love the work you do ... you're so efficient ... no one has done this job better," my boss said. "So we're cutting your hours." It wasn't easy to hear, and was even harder to understand at the time. But that moment has brought me much further than if I had continued to work 40-hours a week at adead-end job.

Nowhere else is the shortcut celebrated as much as in entrepreneurial business. We're forging a new path and learning what works to make life easier, tasks smoother, and expenses lower--things critical to survival. Instead of working for the sake of work or spending eight hours doing a task, entrepreneurs push boundaries, find shortcuts, and improve the process.

So are you a bad employee? Or a great entrepreneur? If you find your work style resembles these three scenarios, there is no surefire way to transform your cubicle environment so that your co-workers can appreciate and reward your unique approach. In fact, many managers don't know what to do with you and may be unable or unwilling to adapt. When you find yourself less engaged, frustrated by the politics, or expanding beyond your job description, you may in fact be unemployable and an undiscovered entrepreneur.

Kelly Azevedo is the founder of She's Got Systems, a custom coaching program that leads clients to get support, documenting and dominating in their fields. Kelly learned that her innate ability to create and utilize systems allowed her to complete tasks at corporate jobs in a fourth of the time and she sought out a more challenging environment. She has worked in successful six-figure and million-dollar online businesses, helping owners create the systems to serve their startup needs. Adapting quickly to the fast paced environment, constant changes and ever present challenge of communication in the online world, Kelly has supported her private clients in their group programs, private clients, product launches and all the daily business.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the world's most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC leads #FixYoungAmerica, a solutions-based movement that aims to end youth unemployment and put young Americans back to work.