Not surprising, right? However, just because we know what a leader should be doesn’t mean all leaders — or supposed leaders — possess these qualities. (The situation is similar to knowing what makes a good employee. We all know hard work and ambition make good employees, but not everyone acts accordingly. )

I thought it would be interesting to hear what you have to say about what makes a good leader or boss. Is leadership a necessity to be a good boss? What are the must-haves of a boss? What qualities are nice but not necessary?

I recently wrote an article discussing what makes a good boss, and here are some responses:

· “Be consistent and predictable. It is hard for subordinates to make the boss look good when the boss behaves erratically and every situation seems to result in a unique decision.” — Wayne Botha of Botha Consulting

· “They are able to get you to do something without using coercive tactics or bullying. They’re able to frame the discussion in the same way a good basketball coach tells you what the best play will be.” — Andrew Lee, co-founder and CEO of JamLegend.com

· “Promote from within. Develop your subordinates and then promote them when the opportunity arises. Subordinates will quickly understand your intentions when you always hire people from outside your organization for top positions.” — Botha

· “A good boss will defend your actions (when they are defensible) and will help you when there is a problem.” — Deborah Graham

· “A good boss understands that every task given to you cannot be your No. 1, top priority and will work with you to readjust priority lists if necessary.” — Graham

· “A good boss knows the overall value each employee brings to the organization, and keeps that in mind. So, a single transgression by an otherwise excellent employee doesn’t demand the same response as the same transgression by an employee who consistently makes mistakes.” — Bruce Campbell, vice president of marketing at Clare Computer Solutions

· “A good boss keeps you informed about what is happening at the higher management levels and what projects might be coming down the road.” — Graham

So tell us, what do you think makes a good boss?

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Maybe the dilemma’s not even that easy. Let’s be honest, the job situation has people worried about getting laid off or fired for missing too much work. Some companies also classify sick leave and vacation days under the same pool of accrued time, so taking a sick day today means a shorter vacation in a couple of months. Or a sick day today means having to find a sitter when your child gets sick later this season. Unfortunately, the issue isn’t as simple as don’t go to work if you don’t feel 100 percent.

This article in the Chicago Tribune discusses how employers are trying to balance business needs with sick workers reluctant to stay home.

From the article:

Some employees have to ration their sick days carefully or may not have any paid time off. Others weigh the fear of making a bad impression against the risk of prolonging an illness and feeling worse.

“It’s very hard to take off of work at my job,” said Noor Aweidah, who works for the president of a marketing firm and helps bring in new clients. “Things being the way they are today, new business is a real priority. If I’m not there, meetings are not happening, calls are not taking place.”

Even with her concerns, Aweidah recently had to take a rare day off to keep some incipient flu-like symptoms from worsening. She canceled a client meeting and made sure the interns under her supervision knew their daily tasks, then lay down on her couch to watch bad movies and drink tea.

The client was understanding about needing to reschedule, she said.

“It’s hard being in a creative environment to not be on your A game, especially when you’re interfacing with clients,” Aweidah said. “But they don’t want to meet with someone who’s coughing or sweating.”

And on last week’s Harvard Business Ideacast, experts ask Is Your Business Ready for H1N1? (Even if you’re not an employer, it’s worth checking out to hear what companies are doing for their employees and what they want to see happening in workplaces.)

When you’re deciding whether or not to come in to the office, or even if you’re not sick but are wondering what you’ll do if you do get some form of flu this season, here are some tips:

• Talk to your boss now.
  Find out what the company’s doing about the flu this year. Is it the same policy as last year or are they asking you to take different precautions?
• What are your work-from-home options?
  If you have the kind of job where working from home is possible, see what the policy is. Do you need permission before doing it or can you call in one morning and say you need to work from home? Does it count against your time off at all?
• Do you need a note if you miss a certain amount of consecutive days?
  Let’s be honest, most of us don’t know the details of every company policy. Many employers require a doctor’s note for anyone who stays home for more than a certain amount of consecutive days, so you don’t want to show up after a week out and be told to go home until return with a note.
• Do you  really need to go in today?
  If you’re in that gray zone where you  might be getting sick or you might just have a 24-hour bug, you could be wondering if you should go to work or stay home. There are pros and cons to both, and you might have your own reasons for wanting to go in. Just remember that if you are contagious and you end up getting the whole office sick, no one will be pleased with you, especially if it means half of your group is out and everyone else has to work twice as hard.
• Do you have any other perks?
  Some companies pay for their employees to get the flu vaccine (the regular one, not the H1N1 vaccine, since it’s being offered free). If you want the flu shot, see if your company covers the cost or will reimburse you for it. Also see if they’ll be providing hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes to people in the office.

Also check out this article from fellow blogger Rachel Zupek.

Have you dealt with any of these issues this flu season?

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Keeping in the Halloween spirit, CareerBuilder thought it would be fun to ask workers about all the scary things we encounter at work — namely, our bosses, our job duties and the workplace itself.

In the survey, 18 percent of workers described their workplace as scary. Some of those people think their workplace is scary because their bosses bear a strong resemblance to famous Halloween characters. When asked which popular characters best reflect their boss’s behavior, workers said the following:

• Glenda the Good Witch, liked and respected by all – 20 percent
• The Wolf Man, is fine one minute, howling the next – 11 percent
• The Invisible Man, never around – 10 percent
• Casper the Friendly Ghost, eager to help, but often misunderstood – 9 percent
• Dracula, constantly sucking the life right out of you – 6 percent
• Wicked Witch of the West, always acting conniving and sending out minions to do his/her dirty work – 5 percent
• The Mummy, slow-moving and has an ancient thought process – 4 percent
• Grim Reaper, constantly delivers bad news and inspires fear among workers – 3 percent
• Frankenstein, green with envy – 1 percent

In addition to spooky bosses, when asked what the scariest part of their job was, workers reported the following fear-inducing activities:

• Workload – 18 percent
• Performance reviews – 9 percent
• Tight deadlines – 9 percent
• Hours worked – 8 percent
• Their boss or supervisor – 7 percent
• Sitting through meetings – 6 percent

What about you? Which Halloween character is your boss like, and why? What’s the scariest part of your job?

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Everyone likes work breaks. You like them because  they give you, well, a break from your job — they’re a chance to get coffee, update your Facebook status, pay a bill, watch the latest Funny or Die video or smoke a cigarette. Employers like them because downtime has been shown to help productivity, relieve stress and even build camaraderie among employees.

But breaks can be also a point of contention around some workplaces. While you barely can pull yourself away from your desk most days to heat up your Lean Cuisine, your co-worker seems to be constantly ducking out for coffee, stamps or a quick smoke.

What’s fair and what’s not? Here’s what the Labor Law Center’s Human Resource blog says: 

The best practice in HR is to give employees an unpaid meal break of 30 minutes or more, per 8 hour shift. Most employers give an additional meal break if the employee has to work 12 hours or more.

In addition, the best practice in most industries is to give workers a 10 to 15 minute break at approximately the mid-point of each 4-hour work segment. Usually this translates into a mid-morning and a mid-afternoon break. Under the federal FLSA or Fair Labor Standards Act, rest breaks of less than 20 minutes must be paid. (Meal breaks that are longer than 20 minutes may be unpaid if the employee is relieved of all duties during this period.)

Which brings us to the subject of smokers and their break times.

It’s one thing if you are using break time as stated above, but what if you are taking four breaks a day or one break an hour? I’m not saying all smokers do that, but there are many non-smokers who complain about this. What are they supposed to do if they don’t relax with a nicotine fix? Aren’t they entitled to the same break time as smokers?

Hard-hitting reporter Pat Tomasulo, sports anchor for WGN TV’s morning news in Chicago, recently took a look at this very topic. Watch here as he takes his own version of “smoke breaks” — he might be on to something.

What do you think? Tell us below; no login required.

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Think about it. Some of the entertainment industry’s most popular characters are bosses. There’s Michael Scott from “The Office,” Miranda Priestly from “The Devil Wears Prada,” Jack Donaghy from “30 Rock,” Ari Gold from “Entourage and Mr. Burns from “The Simpsons.” The list goes on. The reason we love (or love to hate) these characters is because we can see traits of our own bosses in them. Watching them lets us know we are not alone in some of our everyday battles.

Love her or hate her, she’s still your boss, and she still signs off on the paychecks, gives you your review and recommends you for new projects or a promotion. While you don’t need to be best friends with your boss, the two of you still need to have a civil working relationship.

Today, we have  a guest post from behavior strategist and performance management coach Joe Takash, the author of the newly released “Results Through Relationships: Building Trust, Performance and Profit Through People.”  Takash tells us the key to a great boss/employee relationship takes just simple steps. Here’s how:

The 5 Steps to Connecting With Your Boss

By Joe Takash

Managing Up
1. The rare act of transparent communication with one’s professional superior or superiors to get needs met, thoughts heard and contribute to the success of boss, team and organization.
2. Courageous upward leadership with the intent to establish trusting partnerships and own one’s results.
  
Interns and entry-level employees, even employees at high levels, don’t apply the tips for effectively connecting because they’re never provided a blueprint early on in their career. Practicing these diligently can expedite career opportunities and differentiate you in an economy that is in need of high-flyers more than ever.
 
1.  Choose Good Timing
Discover the best times in which to approach your boss by simply asking, “when are the best times to meet with you if I have questions?” This simply inquiry can build credibility because of the awareness and consideration of their busy schedule. An added benefit is that when you meet with them, you’re likely to have a more focused, less distracted listener.
 
2.  Prepare and Plan
Practice your approach vs. just winging it so you can succinctly explain up front why you’re there and what you need from them. WARNING: Be solution-focused! Bosses want to know what you have thought of or would suggest about the inquiries you have. This is a crucial component for demonstrating leadership and initiative.
 
3.  Align Understanding
If your boss does not state his or her expectations or ask about yours, don’t waste energy griping to others about it. Instead, rise above and them to be clear about what they need from you. Requesting the primary duties you should be focusing on or discovering the qualities that make up the ideal professional in your position not only impresses them, but provides you with a roadmap for success.
 
4.  Follow-up/Follow-through
One of the biggest barriers for positive change is lack of accountability. In managing upward, you can hold yourself and boss accountable by agreeing on times/dates to follow-up at the conclusion of each meeting or communication exchange. Your boss may think, “These behaviors would be great in a client services or sales position” which may be a promotion you earn twice as fast as you may have.
 
5.  Own Your Results
A young lady named Karen once approached me after a keynote presentation I delivered to her company. With a pleasant, apprehensive smile, she said: “Joe, I really believe I’m equipped to be our marketing manager. I have experience, passion and knowledge, but I don’t know what to say to my boss. I was wondering if you have advice.” I said, “Karen, I have for you a magic formula and it can be described with one word: ASK!” I politely explained to her that the biggest success stopper is that cynical voice within each of us. Owning your results doesn’t mean you won’t experience fear as you navigate your career, it’s the commitment to courageously ask for what you want and be prepared to state why and how all will benefit. 

Tell us what you think below! (No registration required.)

• Who is your favorite boss from pop culture and why?
• How you were able to get through to your boss in a difficult situation?
• If you’re the boss, what advice would you give employees?

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Well, one day down; four to go, kids. In the meantime, here’s some reading material:

• Internships are about more than just getting coffee for the VP.
  Texas students find that Washington internships can open doors for jobs in future
• Are you to your company as Milton is to Office Space?
  How to be more social in the workplace
• This is one of those surveys that’s surprising…but not, if you know what I mean.
  Nobody Wants to Lead the Corporate Dance…

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