What type of manager makes the best boss?
Bombastic, self-assured, egocentric managers might not make the best leaders, according to a new study that reveals the characteristics of the ideal boss.
The best bosses are humble ones, according to research from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. They are quieter and stay more in the background, but they lead by empowering their employees.
“Humility is not a weakness,” says ASU professor Angelo Kinicki, but it has effects across an organization in an “empowered, uplifting way.” He adds that “you can’t browbeat people into performance.”
The study goes on to assert that ideal bosses care about their employees and empower them in their work.
ture are not the most effective CEOs in the real world, according to a new study from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.
The best bosses are humble bosses, those who empower and appreciate their employees, are open to feedback and care about the greater good, according to the research, which was published in Administrative Science Quarterly.
“Humility is not weakness,” Angelo Kinicki, a professor at the W.P. Carey School of Business at ASU, said Tuesday during a phone interview.
“Humility has its effects across levels of an organization in an empowered, uplifting way. You can’t browbeat people into performance.”
The research comes from Kinicki, Anne Tsui and David Waldman of the W.P Carey School; Amy Ou of the National University of Singapore; Zhixing Xiao of George Washington University; and Lynda Jiwen Song of the Renmin University of China.
They interviewed the CEOs of 63 private companies in China and about 1,000 of the managers who work with them.
What they found is that humble bosses are strong bosses.
Traditionally, bombastic, self-assured, egocentric people are often thought to be the best leaders, Kinicki said.
“There’s a stereotype that humble people are weak people, and I’ve never agreed with that,” Kinicki said.
“Humble people are quiet-
See BOSSES, Page A18