When asked to rank a list of ten criteria, employees and managers/owners ranked them very differently:

WHAT EMPLOYEES SAY THEY WANT (in order) 1.Full appreciation for work done 2.Feeling ‘part’ of things 3.Sympathetic help on personal issues 4.Job security 5.Good wages 6.Interesting work 7.Promotion/growth opportunities 8.Personal loyalty to workers 9.Good working conditions 10.Tactful discipline

WHAT MANAGERS THINK EMPLOYEES WANT (in order) 1.Good wages 2.Job security 3.Promotion/growth opportunities 4.Good working conditions 5.Interesting work 6.Personal loyalty to workers 7.Tactful discipline 8.Full appreciation for work done 9.Sympathetic help on personal issues 10.Feeling ‘part’ of things

What does this mean if you are an employer or a manager in business today?

Frequent pats on back will go a long way towards making your employees more satisfied at work. Happily, it’s not always about money.

5.Stop providing solutions Managers often achieve their positions after being technical specialists, and so will have an opinion or view on how to "fix" situations or problems. They believe that it's faster to tell someone what to do, or do it themselves, than give their employees an opportunity to figure it out. By always providing answers, managers take away opportunity for their employees to learn and come up with alternative (and potentially better) ways of doing things.

6.Always be constructive – always Language and communication skills set great leaders apart from mediocre ones. Don't patronise or be critical of others - take complete responsibility for how you are heard. If you catch yourself about to make negative remarks, take a breath and rephrase your words to get your message across without emotional attachment. Great leaders always find a way to say things calmly and constructively.

7.Judge your success by success of your team The true success of a leader can be measured by success of people that work for them. As a manager of others, your prime responsibility is to ensure success and development of your team. If they are successful, you will automatically be successful. Focus on building their skills and removing obstacles in their way. If you can achieve this, you will see results in productivity, motivation and satisfaction of your employees. This in turn filters through to bottom-line results.

8.Don’t do things just because they will “look good”. Nothing is more transparent than managers who make decisions and behave in ways simply to look good to their superiors. If you want to improve as a leader, one of qualities you need is integrity. The integrity to make decisions because they are right, and integrity to stand up when you truly believe something is not in best interests of business. Whether or not it is in your personal best interests is much less of a consideration.

9.Include humour in your diet Nobody likes to work in an environment that is devoid of any fun. People are more productive when they are enjoying themselves. Creating a workplace where fun is permitted and encouraged can make a significant difference, and it’s even more effective when boss participates. It increases team spirit, and encourages people to see you as a person, not simply as boss.

10.Let people get to know real you Being open about yourself helps to break down barriers that hierarchy puts in place. When your employees know person behind façade, that’s when you start to build foundations of good leadership - trust and respect.