How can I stop being a nice boss?

Question

I am in charge of an office but i am too nice.
I would like my employees to be afraid of me so that they can be more productive.

Answer 1

take some assertiveness training.. you don't have to be a b*tch and you don't have to make them fear you.. you just have to be firm and secure.

Answer 2

Havign employees that fear you arn't the best to have. And, I cannot say they would be more productive. You have to balance being stern with being "approachable." Find a style that fits your personality.
For example, me, I am often considered too nice of a boss. All (well nearly) all of my employees love me. But that comes over time. Relationship building is key for me.
Employees are not going to produce more for a boss they do not like or fear. COncentrate on building a relationship so when you ask an employee to step up, they will respond.

Answer 3

You have this concept all wrong. Fear does not inspire loyalty. Fear inspires survival---that is all. If your employees fear you they will do what their job requires---that is all. They all will be ready to go home as soon as they get to work--except for the fact that you pay them.

Being nice does not mean letting the employees run the office, but it does mean taking into consideration the circumstances that arise with individual employees. Be flexible. Talk to your employees, and make some accomodations when needed. Have the employees work together to work out schedules, and time off, and other employee concerns. Being nice, being flexible,and taking your employes needs into consideration will produce a happier more productive office.

Answer 4

... making your employees afraid of you will not make them more productive. it'll make them hate you and wanna work less... and do less for you.
if you are saying youre too nice, then... suddenly having the whole office turn and hate you probably would really kinda be devastating to you.
you don't have to be a B**ch to get your employees to work harder.... you just have to be firm. and let them know you mean business.
just because youre a nice boss doesnt mean that you should be a door mat. what's that going to accomplish? They should see the benefit of having a nice laid back boss instead of taking advantage of it. (if they respect you, they wont take advantage of the fact that youre nice. that does not make them very good employees to do that).
(I'd say, talk to them on it, well... nicely... but be firm. Tell them what they need to do and what you'd like to see accomplished. include them in the conversation (so they feel like theyre being asked, not told... some people have a problem with that), but tell them "you need to be more productive" and ..... be firm and stand your ground. YOU are the boss you know.

Answer 5

Hi Cinderella

I agree with you that it's possible to be "too" nice to maintain a productive atmosphere.

HOWEVER

Making your employees afraid of you, or stressing them out in any way, is guaranteed to be counter-roductive unless your subordinates are doing very simple, repetitive work.

The simple fact is that when people are afraid and/or negatively stressed they tend to shut down all of their creative abilities and revert to simple, traditional, going through the motions, behaviour. In all likelihood they will stop using their initiative and depend on you for instructions on how to carry out even the most simple tasks.

Personally I'd go with Pip's suggestion - get yourself onto a good assertiveness training program. That should enable you to be "firm but fair" WITHOUT needing to "stick your heart in a drawer".
And until you can do that, find a book that will give you some ideas on how to maintain the right kind of atmosphere in the office. One written for first time managers would probably have the kind of information you want.

Answer 6

First of all...everyone knows that a good boss ( manager ) does not intimidate thier employees to do good hard work. You have to know how to manage people to manage successfully. You can be nice, thats always a good quality no matter what you do...but there is a difference between being nice and being a push over. Have to be nice but firm...make sure the boundaries are in place and if you have to sit and conduct meetings with them to get them to work then do it....or else consider who needs to be replaced....

Answer 7

I have anywheres from 25 to 30 people working for me at one time. I am never mean to them but they do respect me. Fear isnt a good motivator, you get more bees with honey than vinegar is what I always say. I am always fair and direct when there is an issue. They DO know I am not afraid to send them packing if they dont do what is required, I am letting an employeee got today. You may have to release someone , the most unproductive person you have on staff is my suggestion, they will then see you mean business. Remember to put your heart in your desk drawer as soon as you get to work in the morning and take it back out when you head home at night, makes being the boss alot easier.

Answer 8

Being like lion will not just help you being as a good boss..
You should be more interactive with the mand try to get the feed backs from them and thus u try to improve company's productivity and also ur skills..........Thus no need to be very friendly since they should also respect you and obey u since u r boss to them...Thus u try to achieve better success....

Answer 9

i dont think that being mean is a good answer b/c that doesnt create a healthy work environment, maybe you can try to be nice but firm w/ people b/c that way your employees will feel more @ ease and still be motivated and they will prolly respect you more. im sorry i know that isnt really answering your question but i hope this helps! :)

Answer 10

It is not a matter of being nasty or nice - it is being fair and businesslike. There are tons of books on management - not everything will apply to your situation, but start reading.

Answer 11

let me give you the number to my boss - he's a pro at not being nice.