Work Happy: What Great Bosses Know

There are two angles that make "Work Happy" stand out from the rash of other positive-workplace books. The first is that this book is based on solid research. The author really did her homework here, citing numerous facts and studies. She also draws on more than two decades of personal experience as a manager and consultant.

The other angle that sets "Work Happy" apart is its practicality. The author makes sure every chapter has plenty of step-by-step instructions for implementing her strategies.

Reading this book is like doing an intensely fun workshop, designed to help you create a happier workplace for your team. This is the kind of book you'll want to read with a highlighter. It also has something to offer everyone. Whether you're a new manager or an old-hand, you're going to learn something useful here.

Jill Geisler is head of the Poynter Institute's leadership and management programs, and she writes the popular podcast, "What Great Bosses Know." She's led management development programs for several major organizations and is in demand as a speaker on leadership, ethics and change-management issues.

So, keep listening to find out how to overcome one of the most common management challenges, how to say sorry to someone on your team, and how to help both your introverted and extroverted team members succeed.

"Work Happy" has 15 chapters, divided up into three main sections. The first section focuses on you, the second section looks at your team, and the last section looks at your workplace in general.

All told, the book ends up at just under 350 pages, so it's no lightweight. But the good news is that, thanks to the author's fun and conversational writing style, it goes by quickly.

The book starts out with the five biggest challenges you face as a manager, and what you can do to address them. Each of these challenges will likely ring true, if you've spent any time in a management role.

One of them is communication. Your team wants to know everything going on in the organization. But sometimes, you can't tell them everything. You might be forced to keep quiet on sensitive business plans, legal actions, or employee matters. And because you have to keep this information to yourself, you might speak vaguely, avoid the issue, or even lie. This frustrates your team and causes you to lose credibility.

There are two things you can do about this. First, generously share the information your team needs to know. Make sure they never have to learn second-hand any information that affects them. And, deliver news personally whenever you can.

You should also have upfront discussions about what you won't, and can't, share with your team. This helps your team members understand the position you're in. The more open and honest you are about what you can't share, the more they'll trust you. And the next time someone asks about an issue you can't comment on, you can say something like, "I understand your concern. This situation is being addressed, but I can't say more about it at this time."

There are four other management challenges addressed here, and you'll likely find the author's solutions just as simple and useful as we did.

In chapter two, the author goes over three things your employees will never forget. One of these is titled, "My boss apologized to me when he or she was in the wrong."

It's easy to see why this can make such an impact on team members. After all, you can probably count on one hand the number of times your own boss has apologized to you.

But here's the question. Do you make a sincere apology to your team when you make a mistake? The author says managers often don't, because they think it will make them lose face in front of their team. But, not recognizing your mistakes only compounds the problem. If you've messed up, you do need to say sorry. This heals the wound, and builds your own credibility.

The way you apologize is really important. Don't say something like, "If someone believes I was mistaken or took offense, I apologize." What you're really saying here is that you don't think this is a big deal, but because they do, you're apologizing. This is a lip-service apology, and it will only frustrate your team because it's not sincere.

The author says your apology should describe the wrong, and you should take personal responsibility for what happened. You also need to be clear that it won't happen again.

As an example, let's say you criticized a team member in front of her peers, for something that turned out to be your own fault. You should deliver your apology in the same way you delivered the criticism, in front of the same group of colleagues.

We really liked this bit of advice because it's so easy, and tempting, to say sorry in private. But by apologizing to people in front of their team members, you heal the wound you made and you clear their reputation. This is only fair.

As well as going over the other two things employees never forget, the author outlines three things employees never forgive. She also looks at the most common positive leadership qualities, and discusses how those qualities can do harm when you take them to extremes.

One example is high standards. Having high standards is a great quality for a manager. But if you're not careful, this can make your employees perceive you as impossible to satisfy.

The author illustrates this with a story from her own background as a TV broadcast manager. Whenever a big storm was brewing, she'd rally the troops and ask everyone to arrive at work at three a.m. And, she promised she'd be there an hour earlier to get everything ready and lend a hand.

To her, showing up so early proved to her team that she'd never ask them to do anything she wouldn't be ready to do herself. But the team didn't see it so positively. In the end, one of the news anchors spoke up. She let the author know that people saw her insistence on being in the newsroom as a lack of trust in their abilities.

This is a great example of how people can misread a situation, and it's an important lesson to keep in mind. Remember, only you know what your intentions are. Your team might be interpreting your actions completely differently!

This is why it's important to clearly explain your intentions to your team, even if you think they're obvious. Share the "why" behind your actions and decisions.

The first section is full of great advice like this. Every chapter has important lessons and helpful tips for improving your abilities as a manager.

Section two looks at how you can improve the greatness of your team. And it starts off with a key point all managers should keep in mind. The most important thing you can do as a boss is help your employees succeed. And the next five chapters focus on how to do this.

The author dives into this second section by talking about the differences between managing introverts and extroverts. She says statistically, there are far more extroverts in management than there are introverts. And, it's not because extroverts are more intelligent or capable. It's just that they're far more likely to speak up and get heard. So, they get noticed.

The problem is that many extroverted managers don't know how to manage introverts on their team. But if you can take the time to learn about this personality type, you'll not only create a happier team overall – you'll also be in a better position to help this group succeed.

Here's a good example. Introverts don't often speak up in meetings. They might be shy about sharing their opinions with the group. But this doesn't mean they're not listening. Introverts are excellent listeners, but they need time to think about and process everything they've heard.

So instead of demanding that everyone on your team contributes during a meeting, try this instead. Sometime after the meeting, seek out your introverted team members individually. Ask them for their thoughts about what went on. They'll likely offer up some insights you've missed, and give you their perspective as well.

Another way you can help your introverted team members is to let them know in advance what you want to discuss in the next meeting. This will give them time to think through their ideas. Then they'll be more likely to speak up, since they'll have had time to plan what they want to say.

The author also provides several pointers for helping your extroverted team members succeed.

For example, you might see your extroverts out of their office a lot, scouting for conversation. Some managers might think this is a waste of time. But before you judge their behavior, carefully weigh their performance.

Keep in mind that extroverts can only take so much isolated work time before they need to go out and get energized by talking to others. These conversations might be helping them solve problems, and give them the lift and human connection they need to get back in there and work productively. And if you're managing an extroverted team member who's tele-commuting or at a remote location, make sure you stay in touch with them.

The author breaks down the introvert-extrovert personality types into more detailed groups, and she offers plenty of advice for managing all these sub-groups. This further goes to show that treating everyone on your team the same is probably not the best way to do things. Everyone is unique, and needs a unique management approach in order to flourish.

One chapter we especially liked was chapter eight, which focuses on the kind of motivation that really matters. And this concept is centered on one important point. Great bosses don't motivate employees – they help employees motivate themselves.

How do you do this?

You start by finding out what's in the heads and hearts of everyone on your team. Your goal isn't to ignite a fire in your people. Your goal is to find the fire that's already burning, and fuel it.

There are two types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivators are outside motivators, like good pay, benefits, recognition, and vacation time. Intrinsic motivators are things that'll drive us from the inside out – things like autonomy, doing tasks that use a core competence, working with purpose, and growing professionally.

Let's look at the first of these motivators, autonomy. The author says many managers struggle with giving people on their team the power to make their own decisions. But she quotes several studies that show just how powerful, and motivating, autonomy really is.

One of these studies comes from Cornell University, which looked at 320 small businesses. Half of these businesses granted workers autonomy, and the other half relied on a top-down management approach. The businesses that offered autonomy grew at four times the rate of the control-oriented firms, and had one-third the employee turnover.

The reason why autonomy is such a powerful motivator is that we're all more likely to embrace ideas and solutions that we create. And if it's our idea, we're far more likely to nurture it.

So how can you provide more autonomy to your team?

First, share as much information as possible. And whenever you can, get your staff involved in decisions that affect them. Give your team opportunities to design the work they do. Give them your attention and support, but don't spend your time looking over their shoulders.

The author also goes into how to incorporate the other three intrinsic motivators into your workplace.

The last section in the book looks at how you can create a great place to work. There are four chapters in this section, and here you'll learn how to ignite and lead change, and create a great workplace culture.

So what's our last word on "Work Happy"?

We really liked this book. Every page contains a lesson, strategy, or piece of advice that's truly valuable. It doesn't matter if you're a new manager or a seasoned professional; you're going to learn something new here.

The book is full of great information. There's far more in the book than we could hope to cover here, and applying just a handful of these tips will help make you a better boss with a happier team.

The author gives details of all her research and sources in the back of the book, divided by chapter. So if there are any points you want to check yourself, or investigate for more information, the trail is there for you to follow on your own.

All in all, we think this is a highly useful resource for new and experienced managers alike.

"Work Happy," by Jill Geisler, is published by Hachette Book Group.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. Click here to buy the book from Amazon. Thanks for listening.