From: http://www.bizjournals.com/

When it comes to helming a small business, there are plenty of insights available about industry leadership and strategic thinking. But what makes someone the kind of boss that employees want to work for? That’s the question really driving employee recruitment and retention.

When it comes to management, it may be time to focus more on personality than on policies.

With that in mind, here are some qualities that keep employees engaged — and boost a company’s reputation as a great place to work.

1. Encourage unrestricted feedback

Although many bosses say they welcome feedback, Phil Martensadvises entrepreneurs to not only mean it, but also be prepared for honesty. As the founder of 501F1T, a group fitness and personal training company in Minneapolis, Martens says that great bosses learn from their employees and understand that systems change over time.

“Listening to the people who do tasks day in and day out and may have figured a more efficient and effective way to complete them, not only helps the employee, but the business overall,” he says.

Empowering employees to speak up about process improvement also gives bosses a chance to explain why things are done a certain way, he adds.

“Employees that understand the ‘why’ behind the steps involved tend to feel less frustration when tasks may be boring or seemingly unnecessary,” Martens says.

2. Choose employees over clients

Hopefully this situation will be rare, but when it comes, employees notice when a boss backs them up, says Cameron Brown, president of Boston-based digital agency King Fish Media.

“If you need to stand up for an employee, then stand up, even to a client,” he says. “This is possible if you make sure to surround yourself with talented people who provide the best services for your clients. You know what each person brings to the business, and you can articulate that to a client in any situation.”

3. Provide a rich benefits mix with insurance options

Part of supporting employees is asking what they need in terms of insurance, Brown says. The 12 employees at his firm have health benefits, but also a blend of company-paid and employee-paid insurance, based on what they prefer.

He’s not alone. Many employers are gravitating toward bringing in voluntary insurance, which works with major medical plans to address health-related costs that primary insurance might not cover.

4. Work to see others succeed

Everyone wants to feel appreciated and that they’re being propelled forward in their careers, believes Nina Axelson, vice president of public relations at Ever-Green Energy, a Midwestern renewable energy company. For a boss, cultivating those feelings in employees requires a healthy amount of humility.

“If you work with someone who’s humble and willing to admit when they’re wrong, then you usually have someone who’s also willing to work toward seeing others succeed,” she says. “Being a strong leader doesn’t mean you have to give up being humble. It just means you inspire people to work toward a shared mission, instead of personal success for yourself.”

5. Become a great communicator

It is nearly impossible for a boss to be both successful and a terrible communicator, Axelson says. The two qualities are so linked together that she advises any entrepreneur or new manager to put in extra time on communication skills. “Think about creating clarity in everything you say or write,” she suggests.

6. Lead by example

Many people have had that boss — the one who punishes employees arriving five minutes late and yet takes an hours-long lunch break or skips out early to play golf. The result is often indifference or even resentment among staff, and that leads to high turnover and lost productivity.

“A boss needs to be reliable, on time and hardworking in order to ask for those qualities from employees,” says Martens.

7. Weed out the obstacles

Just as engaged employees should be rewarded with support and benefits, troublesome employees need to be addressed for the overall health of the company culture, Martens believes.

“No person, no matter how talented, is worth keeping if they are disruptive to the culture you want in your business,” he says.

By letting that employee go, a boss is showing that happiness of the staff as a whole is important.

Martens adds, “Other still will feel rewarded and more appreciated if you tell them why you have eliminated people who contradict the culture and environment.”

Every company is unique, as is every individual. But by focusing on characteristics like these — openness, support, respect and mentoring — any boss can stand out and win the loyalty of employees.