Art Jones was the best boss I ever saw up close, and I studied and worked with bosses at all levels for three decades. Art was the best.
Art had a common sense approach to his job as a boss. He wanted to leave everything a little better when he went home at night than it was when he came in that morning. Art was a first line supervisor for most of his career, but he mentored many men and women who rose far above him on the org chart. His standard became the standard for his organization.
A couple of years after Art retired, I was sitting in a meeting of senior leaders in his organization. They were discussing a policy change and every time someone made a suggestion, someone else would ask, “What would Art think of that?”
One day when I was working with Art we stopped for lunch and, as usual, a younger supervisor stopped by to ask Art a question. Art always ate at the same place and the same time so a person could find him if they wanted. They discussed a couple of issues. Art was helpful and encouraging. Then the other boss asked the big question: “How do I get as good as you?”
Art didn’t hesitate. “I didn’t get this way all at once. I had to learn, just like you. Get a little bit better every day and eventually you’ll get really, really good.”
It’s a little like eating that elephant. You do it one bite at a time. That’s the secret of becoming a better boss. That’s why I wrote Become a Better Boss One Tip at a Time, so you can become a little bit better as a boss every day. One tip at a time. Here’s what’s in the book.
There’s a short introduction with the most important things I’ve learned over four decades of training, coaching, and studying leaders. It will take you three to five minutes to read.
There are 347 tips in all. There’s a section on personal development with 27 tips to help you make the most of your job and career. Eighteen tips help you make the most of specific times and situations, like the beginning and end of a week, tips for every work day, and how to get the most out of weekends.
Since the book is in PDF format, you can search the tips using any search word or phrase you choose. There’s also an index to help you find tips on a specific topic like these:
- Having more productive meetings
- Conversations with team members
- Problem solving
- Making better decisions
- Giving feedback
- Working with your boss
Become a Boss One Tip at a Time costs just $9.99. That’s less than three cents a tip. You won’t find a more wide-ranging and helpful resource to help you become the boss you want to be and can be. Click the buy button and download your copy.
Still not convinced? I’ve sweetened the deal for you with two exceptional free resources. When you buy Become a Better Boss One Tip at a Time, you’ll also receive a packet of forms that will help you analyze problems, sort out supervisory situations, and squeeze the most learning out of your experience.
There’s also a collection of twenty-one tips from distinguished leadership experts. Michael Bungay Stanier tells you why and how to be lazy. Mike Figliuolo says that “authenticity is easy.” And Mary Jo Asmus tells you why and how to put relationships first. It’s a great collection and you won’t find it anywhere else.
If you’ve read this far, you know why investing in Become a Better Boss One Tip at a Time will help become a great boss. Buy your copy now.
If you’re still pondering, let me share one of the 347 tips in Become a Better Boss One Tip at a Time: Have an Immediate Action Rule.
I know you get lots of good ideas during the day. Years ago, a manager named Bobby taught me an easy way to stay action-oriented and moving forward. The guiding principle is that trying out your idea is the quickest way to figure out if it will work or discovering how it should be modified. When you have an idea, test it right away with your Immediate Action Rule.
Here’s mine: If it costs less than $100 and takes less than ten minutes, try it now. Otherwise, put it in your idea file to review later.