Tony Cassar, the Managing Director of Victory Curtains & Blinds, was on the line wishing him Happy Birthday. ‘It makes a huge difference getting a phone call from Tony every year. You know he’s got it on the computer, but from Tony, it’s not a gimmick’, says Mattiuzzo, who is 1 of 130 employees & subcontractors working for award winning Victory. ‘He’s like that: he makes everyone who works at Victory feel at home, treats them like an equal, & always knows what you’re up to, & what your kids are doing. He’s a really good boss!’
Cassar’s approach may seem straight forward, yet being a good boss remains a rarity in Australian business circles. Recent research by Glyn Brokensha, a Partner & Psychologist with the Banks Management Group, found 1 in 10 Australian Manager’s reach the top, not because they are great leaders & managers who understand what motivates their staff, but because they are obsessed with power, their own financial gain, & hierarchical ascendancy at all costs. ‘Even if you’re not a total power path, most Australian CEO’s & Senior Managers remain stuck in the archetypal leadership mould, which is brusque, aggressive, lacks empathy & says no one is better than me in my organisation’.
Each year, Hewitt & Associates conducts a survey looking for the best employers in Australia & New Zealand for AFR Boss Magazine. Almost always the best employers are those with the best bosses.
Simon McKeon, Executive Chairman of Macquarie Bank Melbourne, also nominates honesty, along with empathy, as key ingredients of a good boss, especially in a time of near full employment & skill shortages. ‘Gone are the days when a boss can say one thing & do something else. It’s at a bosses peril if he ever takes anyone for granted, or treats his employees with anything but the highest respect. These days, they simply go elsewhere.’ McKeon’s other 3 planks of good leadership are: leading by example from the front, always being prepared to serve, and to sometimes do difficult & dirty work yourself rather than delegating. Share the dirt & share the glory. Always listen & be very clear about communicating the way forward honestly. Good leadership is knowing what the true environment of your corporation is, & being able to make the right calls accordingly. That means consciously going outside your direct reports & making sure the feedback your getting is broadly based. It may even mean an open line, direct email policy.’
Griffith Business Schools Ken Parry, also identifies isolation & smugness at the top as a barrier to the rise of more good bosses. From Parry’s experience, it’s only the better bosses who get a good picture of what is going on around them, looking at things from the perspective of the troops; & being empathetic with their needs & perspectives.
– Source: Australian Financial Review, April 2005