What makes a good boss?

[John Paul Sanborn]

That's what keeps me in business!

I pass them on to people who I know are willing to do that stuff. the risk reward equasion is not allways ballanced where I like it, especially when there is a lot of decay and not enough money for a crane.

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Paul Sanborn

People hire me to do scary trees because they do not feel qualified to do it. I've walked away from a few too.

The guy that hires you is not your boss, technically, since you are a sub. As a boss I cannot ask someone who works for me to do a tree that I think scary. That might be different if I hired someone that was more qualified than me. But that's another thread.

Fred

If you are large enough, then you hire soemone to do the work on payroll. If you're owner/operator and you are on site all the time, how much other work is not getting done? If you're doing everything, some things are not getting done.

Another thing to think about is an owner of a micro company who is also a crew leader will rarely make a lot of money. One needs to manage qualified crew leaders. But that is a reason many of us are where we are.

 

[Acer]

If you're owner/operator and you are on site all the time, how much other work is not getting done? If you're doing everything, some things are not getting done.

Another thing to think about is an owner of a micro company who is also a crew leader will rarely make a lot of money.

I'd agree with that, and that's the position I'm in. It seems pretty hard to find people who can be left alone and who will do enough work to cover their wages.

On the boss/employee thing, though, I've been on both sides myself. I have problems getting reliable staff, and I believe it's damaging my business, though I see it as karma for all the times as an employee I grumbled about the work and pulled sickies because I'd had a skinfull the night before. As an employee, when you've had to get up too early to go to a place you don't want to go to, to do stuff you don't want to do, it's hard to have sympathy with your employer, and easy to forget all the paperwork, running around and other stuff that has to be done to keep the show on the road for everyone's benefit..

 

[TREETX]

What makes a good boss???


Feedback. Feedback is the breakfast of champions. Feedback on results is the #1 motivator of people.

One that sets goals and lets expectations be known. It is good to have people to run the ball, but it helps if you show them where the goal posts are.

A boss that takes the time to catch his employees doing something right.

One that reprimands behavior or performance without attacking a person's worth. People who feel good about themselves produce good results.

One that lets employees know when performance is bad at the time it is bad instead of storing up a bunch of complaints in a bag and then unloading them when the bag is full or the just have a chitty day.

 

[Big A]

I'm so glad I brought up this topic, It is sometimes really difficult to see something from someone elses perspective. I get paid well for what I do and really well in comparison to some others. I probably respect the person Icurrently work for more than any other person in the past. I can see his faults as a boss, I did point out a few things I felt may be in need of addressing the other day, and he agreed with me. I know that times are tough when the work dries up and he still has to push the guys, even when he may well feel like jacking in. I can see the problems of people not wanting to stay and do maintenance, one night I, the self-employed who has other work to sort, stayed on to get a chipper up and running for the morning. Noone else could be bothered. their hours were up so they were gone. They still want to go on the pi$$ with the boss at the weekend, and stand around drinking tea, chatting like best buddies. What mate takes his bud for a fool?
I'm interested in the feedback on here as you never know in the future I could be the boss!!!! God forbid!!

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I've seen operations where there is great respect on both sides, though they are few and far between. Freddie B. is one of them.

It was so cool to work with his crew, they were open to suggestions and only had fgood things to say about Fred.

I think one consistant trait of those types of operators is that they allow the workers to own the jobs. They can bring work in; bid it, sell it, do it, and get comission on it after all costs are factored in. Fred even gives the guys leads to run on the job, or on the way home. Gives them a perspective of other parts of the buisness.

 

[chicken89]

I've never seen a bad boss surrounded by good workers.

And vice-versa.

it is funny that this is mentioned. i have 2 jobs, one as a rookie arborist, and one as a store manager at Chick-fil-A. i followed my cfa owner from a mall unit to the first free standing store in cincy. while he was at the mall, he was a great boss with not so good employees (the only 4 that were good he took to the new store). now that he got a new store, he has become a horrible boss with great employees. i have seen both sides of the employer/employee situation.
so when you say that you have not seen a bad boss surrounded by good workers, i look at my situation and think, "if only the boss knew how great the employees are, he would double his sales." but since he does not care what happens to his workers, the employees look down on him

 

[glens]

Has micromanagement been discussed yet?

 

[Ekka]

Bosses, what an incredible breed.

Ultimately all they want is the job done ... correctly.

And somewhere between quoting that job and getting paid for it there is an enormous bog hole of bullcrap.

That's what frustrates bosses. They have become fathers, loan officers, chums for bums, counsellors, motivators, reprimanders, organisers, repair mechanics, taxi service, MD's for splinters plus any other pain in the ***** that their staff give them.

Not enough work and the workers whinge and may leave, too much work ... same result!

I consider myself a good boss, well organised, work hard play hard type of guy. Equipment is good, pay is ok, jobs are good ... I over quote crap jobs so we don't get them or if we do get them we cruise. Those who have been in the business for a while (5yrs+) thing I'm good, the new guys have no idea but think they're hard done by.

So what makes a good employee? Perhaps you need to compare your list to the bosses and realise that middle ground.

Just last week one of my workers busted the rear of my truck being stupid, he was on his second week with me, I fired him ... is that a good boss or bad boss? I'll reiterate my second sentence

"Ultimately all they want is the job done ... correctly"

 

[alanarbor]

Being a good boss means caring. Caring about quality, Caring about safety, and about the well being of your employees. That doesn't mean be their buddy. It means respect, both ways. You don't call them stupid (even when they are) when accidents happen, you find ways to ensure that they aren't repeated. Not ways to punish the person who screwed up.

Make sure that they understand you expect excellence from them, and that they can expect it from you. You are the leader of a team, and if you don't play well, the rest of the team is going to suffer.

 

[Acer]

The thing that galls me a little bit about some employees I've had is their sheer greed. Some of them have come in about a month or two after passing their NPTCs, they have to be trained up on various stuff (at my expense), then seem to expect me to split my sales 50-50 with them. They don't believe or can't understand the concept of overheads. Once they think they've learned enough, they then leave to set up on their own. The two I've got now have just announced they're about to do just that. A few days ago, I overheard one of them pulling a client of mine aside and asking about work for the pair of them! I just wouldn't have the neck to do that myself, but I heard from a few company owners about employees easing themselves into self employment by stealing work (and tools, some of them! Coincidentally, I've lost over £100 worth of stuff over the last few months...)

I don't know how these people will do, but I suspect most of them will have a shock.

 

[Big A]

When I did my training courses that the company I worked for paid for I worked them off over five years with the agreement that if i left earlier I would pay proportionately on the time I had left. Then I was in a position to pay for some courses myself as well. The boss still didnt like it when I left to go on my own, but I paid for all kit before I left (or returned it) I too have seen staff try to poach clients and told them exactly what I thought. Trouble is this is a very fickle industry and you cannot blame anybody for wanting to better themselves financially or otherwise. What a lot dont realise is how tough it is out there and there are a lot who drop out of sight after a while to do something easier. I think some of the problem is that if they know what a job is worth (say £400) they assume that means that 2 men are worth £200 each. NOT in the real world at all! Anyway how many employers started working for someone else then left to go on their own? Quite a few I suspect, so surely they understand the lure of doing it for themselves?

 

[JonnyHart]

Acer, I would show those guys the door ASAP. If possible, try to get a peek in their cars, and if you see any of your equipment in there, call the police, and press charges. That cannot be tolerated. On the subject of them wanting to go into buisiness for themselves, well, how did almost everybody else here that runs their own get started. My guess is they learned somewhere else first.

 

[SteveBullman]

Anyway how many employers started working for someone else then left to go on their own? Quite a few I suspect, so surely they understand the lure of doing it for themselves?

good point, one thats always overlooked. what right has an empoyer to begrudge an employee of wanting to better himself.....this isnt a rich mans game by any means but specially not when you're working for someone else.
ive just gone self employed myself and wish id done it long ago. sure there are a lot of hidden costs, but i never went into it with the misconception that the day rates my last boss charged were all profit unlike some people.

i know what its like having employees stewing over what the boss is earning. sometimes when you tell someone what the days job is worth you can almost hear their brains ticking over working out how much you're earning and how much they're not.

 

[Big A]

HI Steve got it sorted then!

 

[SteveBullman]

not really, have plugged in my old modem for now.....wireless one isnt running but their tech support is closed

 

[alanarbor]

, I overheard one of them pulling a client of mine aside and asking about work for the pair of them!

Frankly, they would be both hitting the unemployment line about 2 seconds right after that if it were my company.

A common practice here in the states is the non-compete agreement, stating that for a certain amount of time after terminating their employment, they may not solicit your customers. You would have the right to sue them if they did.

At least make 'em go get their own!

 

[stihltech]

The Boss

Pretty interesting stuff, seeing as I just became the boss of the transportation department (School buses)

 

[Acer]

Anyway how many employers started working for someone else then left to go on their own? Quite a few I suspect, so surely they understand the lure of doing it for themselves?

On reflection, fair comment..that's what I did. Not because I wanted to run everything, or for more money, I was just fed up with a lot of the work I was having to do.

As I said, i've had a fair few who were just with me for paid training. It might be time to brush up on the selection and retention process. Maybe send out application forms to potential new recruits. Big A, I like the idea of training courses with an agreement to work for a certain length of time or pay towards them. Even have a pay scale, with big jumps each year. It's all starting to sound a bit corporate, which was never my intention. There are certain types of work I like doing, and I was hoping to form a small group of us who all liked doing similar work to the same high standard, and we'd all get on as mates with minimum fuss. But, it looks like that will never be. From experience, someone has to give some sort of direction, or nothing happens and everyone gets p1ssed off. Once a hierarchy is in place, perceived or otherwise, there's division. Is it the same everywhere?

 

[SteveBullman]

i think at the end of the day you have to realize that anyone who turns out to be above average is inevitably going to go it alone

 

[nyoldman]

dont know how this compares: worked for a tree service in ny. state,union shop had afellow worker when not running job was ALL UNION in worst sense slacker, but when was foreman and had a crew of his own what aslave driving co. man example doing tranny line clearance removals excavator,2 cutters,he ran machine and whined if we didnt produce the same everyday didnt take in to account terrain weather etc. have you ever tried to run from asliding excavator in thigh deep snow then told you cant do it leave! needless to say no longer work with him here tell cant keep experienced help on his crew DUH! miss the big tres&big iron but enjoy going home safe at nite