Putting people first is certainly a worthy goal. A company that focuses on the assets inherent in its human resources will foster an internal business environment that is attentive to the talent that lies within the organization and to ways in which this talent’s full potential can be deployed and leveraged. However, organizations have finite resources, and they face the daily pressures of satisfying highly demanding customers. As such, decisions must be made about which people-oriented priorities are most important and how these priorities will be promulgated, implemented, and then supported. What, then, are the key determinants of an optimal corporate “people strategy”?

Some organizations may construct new compensation models, thereby placing great emphasis on rewarding excellent work performance through monetary incentives. Other organizations may augment benefit packages. These strategies are important, but research has shown that these types of extrinsic rewards often fail to motivate excellent job performance as effectively as the more intrinsic rewards of work.³

Indeed, work offers many types of intrinsic rewards: learning, developing new skills, socialization opportunities within the process of teamwork, and even the more altruistic rewards stemming from the joy of helping customers grow their businesses and seeing them prosper as a result. Our experience is that when people feel good about the organization that employs them, when they feel excited about coming to work every day, their positive attitude—inspired by the intrinsic rewards of work—typically is most attributable to the quality of the relationship that exists between themselves and the individuals leading them. And the most important such relationship, by far, is that which exists between employees and their direct supervisors.

Indeed, the most crucial element of a corporate “people strategy” should be developing the human relations skills practiced by managers with their direct reports, in day-to-day individual and group interactions. When excellent relationships exist between supervisors and their direct reports, the likelihood is that the intrinsic rewards of work will be high—and highly valued, as well. When employees admire the way in which they are being led, when they see their supervisory relationship as one that involves mutual respect and opportunities for personal and professional growth, work becomes a highly dynamic activity, far transcending that of merely receiving the extrinsic reward (their paycheck). This core principle that we champion, that management is a relationship-building role, and that the relationship that matters most is the one between managers and their direct reports, serves as the central theme behind our model.

In our experience, managers appreciate a learning model that has a beginning, middle, and end, one through which they can gain a sense of progression via incremental steps, moving ever forward toward a project “finish line.” Managers’ time is limited, and they tend to embrace a step-by-step learning system, where the process is well defined and has a well-proven path toward measurable success.

The figure on page 22 shows our 9 Powerful Practices of Really Great Bosses model graphically. The model is represented by “building blocks” that form a well-grounded pyramid. This representation visually reinforces the notion that, although all the skills that we advocate are “essential,” they can be arranged and prioritized in a sensible order.

The bottom layer of our management human relations skills pyramid forms the base of the model. These are the “foundation” competencies: expanding self-awareness, practicing empathy, following “Golden Rule” principles, and safeguarding credibility. These are the blocking and tackling that football coaches emphasize, the grip that golf pros go over in the first lesson, and the breathing techniques advocated by yoga instructors. They are practices that are intrinsic to the way in which managers manifest human relations talents. They help managers develop an emotionally intelligent approach to leading others, an approach conducive to engendering the admiration and active following behaviors of staff.

In a middle layer, three specific supervisory people skills—maintaining proper boundaries, criticizing artfully and adopting a coaching style—build upon the four core skills at the foundation level and are applied to common management challenges. To be most useful, our model needs to be more than an exploration of widely admired, foundation-layer skills. We hope to emphasize approaches to management human relations challenges that actually test one’s empathy, emotional self-awareness, an ability to apply Golden Rule principles, and credibility.

Our pyramid building block–based image is purposeful and intrinsic to the presentation and comprehension of our model. In a pyramid, the base is the broadest layer. It supports all the layers above it. Pyramids are rather simple structures, but highly solid. Sturdiness is an attractive feature of models developed for the business world, because it is important to build things that last and to which additions can be made when more blocks and/or layers are needed. Indeed, the Egyptian pyramids are marvels of endurance and durability. We like to say that our “9 Powerful Practices” pyramid symbol represents a skill-based model constructed to last through the potentially eroding impact of people management sandstorms that test not just one’s skills but also one’s character.

Most of us have heard the expression “knowledge is power.” It is a familiar maxim that conveys the message, applicable to a range of professional efforts, that having access to substantive, useful information clearly facilitates greater control of situations and opportunities. For example, with a firm grasp of government-promulgated regulations, data, and strategies that can be employed to meet customers’ specific needs, tax consultants have the power to make better decisions or recommendations in helping clients achieve their near- and long-term financial goals.

But how many of us have considered how this maxim might apply “within”—that is, to an assessment of ourselves? To what extent should we prioritize self-knowledge, as a means of gaining added personal power, and thereby furthering our career success? Leading management coach and author John Whitmore spins the “knowledge is power” maxim from the perspective of self-understanding, advocating that:

Awareness is a priority because it drives what we are in a position to affect and control, versus those issues or realities about which we are unaware, which tend to exert control over us. This is true of conditions within our external environment, but it is particularly relevant to our “inner territory”—our emotions, personality, values, and beliefs.

How does this process actually work? What positive, productive behaviors are put in motion by underlying self-awareness? According to eminent industrial psychologist and leadership guru Warren Bennis,³ self-awareness serves as a starting point for the following tautological formula of leadership/professional success:

The formula begins with the premise that efforts to develop self-awareness create opportunities for greater self-knowledge. Through this process of gaining greater self-knowledge, of learning more about ourselves, we develop less uncertainty about ourselves and more self-assurance, self-possession, and self-confidence. Indeed, self-confidence must be tied to an Accurate Self-Assessment; it must be aligned with reality. And reality is a function of correctly perceiving one’s skills and abilities.

The next premise is that, once armed with a more accurate self-assessment and consequently more self-confidence, we are less likely to act impulsively or in a way that is destructive to ourselves or to our relationships. When we have more awareness of our emotions, we understand the connection between our feelings and what we think, do, say, and decide. This is a special kind of insight, called emotional self-awareness. With insight into our emotional life, and with an ability to describe the feelings using the most appropriate words (referred to as emotional literacy), we gain more self-control. The process is quite fascinating: It indicates that knowing what you are feeling and why, then labeling these emotions correctly, are skills that can actually increase one’s self-command and offer individuals far better control over potentially disruptive impulses and behaviors. Again, knowledge begets power (the power in this case being that of staying in control, in the face of inevitable work and life stressors).

If a connection can be reasonably established from self-awareness through self-knowledge, self-assurance, and self-control, then as these factors build upon each other they help establish superior competence in self-expression. Verbal self-expression involves an aptitude for communicating effectively and building stronger interpersonal bonds. With an ability to express ideas in a way that can be easily understood and accepted, individuals foster trust and enhance their rapport–building skills, placing them in a powerful position to influence others.

Beyond describing a process for developing skills in verbal self-expression, Bennis’s sequence also implies a resulting aptitude for literally expressing your “self”—that is, your identity, your personal philosophies, and values. With growing self-confidence, you are more likely to begin manifesting a personal trait often referred to as “presence.” This description of a person—that he or she has “presence”—is very flattering, with highly positive implications for the person’s ability to form healthy interpersonal bonds. Having “presence” involves the perception by others that the person manifesting this trait is well grounded, thoughtful, and in control. When owning “presence,” an individual exudes confidence, stability, dependability, and trustworthiness—all integral personal qualities admired by others. Whether one is managing a company, a department, a team meeting, or even just taking part in a friendly conversation, expressing the “self” creates admiration for the individual’s credibility and genuineness.

Bennis’s formula advocates a process of looking within first, to enrich, enlighten, and expand our self-image. The formula makes the connection from self-awareness to greater control of ourselves and ultimately of our ability to have greater influence on others. Taking the time to listen to our “inner voice” may seem self-indulgent—a spiritual exercise better conducted in a religious context or, at least, in our private time outside work. But, in reality, developing an “inner voice” that connects you to your emotions and values is a highly important professional development activity. It has been linked to the process of enhanced business intuition, to making correct and more ethical...