Article from Dr. Travis Bradberry on The Huffington Post

Many bosses assume that a leader needs to be aloof and tough on employees in order to be effective. They fear that looking “soft” will erode their employee’s motivation and respect for them. To prove their case, they cite examples of brilliant leaders who modeled a tough leadership style and low emotional intelligence, such as Steve Jobs, who berated his employees.

When it comes to success as a leader, radically tough leadership styles are exceptions to the rule, not the rule. Recent research has shown that overly tough bosses create significant health and motivation problems in their employees, which will make you think twice about taking the tough-as-nails approach.

Overly tough bosses create stress, and lots of it, as the research shows. Nice bosses don’t just prevent health and motivational problems among their employees; they create massive benefits that hard-nosed bosses can’t.

Travis Bradberry describes what  a “nice” boss looks like, and how does one pull this off without being a push over. He mentions 10 reasons:

1. They’re kind without being weak.
2. They’re strong without being harsh.
3. They’re confident, without being cocky.
4. They stay positive, but remain realistic.
5. They’re role models, not preachers.
6. They’re willing to take a bullet for their people.
7. They balance work and fun.
8. They form personal connections.
9. They deliver feedback flawlessly.
10. They’re generous.

Read the article on Huffington Post.