Dreams, they are very nice to have however, there is a big difference between the dream world and the real world because the reality of such rewards requires a strong character, determination, human touch, hard work and the ambition of taking on new responsibilities regardless of how difficult they might be or how much pressure they may put on you. Let’s take a look at each and every one of his characteristics and requirements to make it easy for you to decide whether or not you see yourself as a boss.

Strong character:
This is one of the most basic characteristics you should meet if you want to succeed in business or anything in life. A true leader will always stand strong against people who want to sway them to act in a way that goes against the things they stand for, if you want to become a boss or someone who manages a lot of people that you need to be able to let your voice be heard clearly and to deal with clients and business partners who may not follow your code of ethics.

Determination:
A very important characteristic which is found in successful people is their will strength and their determination, without saving yourself clear goals you are very likely to not get very far in life however, something that is just as important is to have the determination to achieve any goal that you set for yourself whether it is big or small, and set at a long-term or short-term, not being easily distracted from your number one goal is something that you must master, if you let yourself be constantly distracted by anything that crosses your path then you will have a real problem achieving business goals.

Human Touch:
It has been said that most of the employees who start to work for someone or for a company in particular will form a concept of the job within the first few weeks, some are even able to form an image of how their lives will be while working for this company/person within the first few days after being hired. Those will decide to quit a job are for the most part quitting their bosses, not the job itself. If you want to become a manager or have a high position on a company that you will have to develop your human relations skills because a loosing workers due to a lack of knowledge of how to treat a human being is something that will hurt your career and your business bottom line.

Hard work is obviously required if you want to advance and get all the benefits that come with the added responsibility however this is something that you must go after by yourself, no one will impose a higher position on you if you don’t want it. Sure, it is very nice to want to have a great car, a beautiful house, a big bank account but you should ask yourself: do you really have what it takes in order to make your dreams come true?

Often times we hear that people quit their jobs because their boss was a jerk, the payment was too low or there was just too much work/pressure.  Actually, there is a long list of reasons why people quit their jobs, lets take a look at some of them:

• Your boss demands that you work harder, for longer periods of time in order to pick up the slack of one or more co-workers.
• Your boss is always tense and gives you a hard time.
• Your boss promotes someone who has less experience than you.
• Management shows favoritism among employees.
• Your boss doesn’t explain goals appropriately and when things are done in a different way they reject the work done which may lower your morale or hurt the feelings of those who took their time to prepare it.

As you can see most people quit their jobs because they have problems with management, in other words they quit their management not their jobs.  Being able to manage people requires more than a degree, it takes “people skills” which can keep workers happy and increase their productivity at the same time.  There is nothing worse for an employee than having a boss which is always in a bad mood and may be hard to talk to.  These jobs are too hard for people to hold on to so they decide to move on.

If you are hunting for a job, the best way to determine of the person who is interviewing you could be a good boss is by turning the job interview into a conversation.  Many people will be nervous during the interview but you have to remember that you will be spending most of your time with the person who is talking to you, so if you feel this person is tense or if you have the feeling that people who work at this place may be unhappy, it might be good to drop the position and apply somewhere else.

Another way to find out if management are is good is by asking questions to people who already work at this company, if someone is unhappy because X or Y reason, they are very likely to tell you why.  Remember that if you put yourself in a situation where your boss is a real problem you may be hunting for another job sooner than you expected it, so take your time during the interview and try to get a good idea of the type of person(s) you will be working with, there is nothing better than working with people you can invite to your home or call friends.

1. Lack of somewhere to buy decent food at lunchtime.  This really does my head in – I need a good lunch!
2. Idiot managers.  Basically, any manager you’ve ever had whos job you could do better than they can.
3. Office politics. Bitching and backstabbing.
4. Chronic liars.  Usually management or sales people.   People who promise the world but never deliver.
5. Long commutes.  The working day is long enough without a 2 hour round trip.
6. Out of hours meetings.  Any client facing job will generally involve some travelling for meetings or working late.  But I think more employers should be more concious of the impact of prolonged / unexpected overtime.
7. No praise for good work done.  Nuff said.
8. Someone else taking credit for your work!  Bastards!
9. Changed job.  That job you applied for and worked in for a while has now changed – it isn’t what you want to be doing and you feel stuck!
10. Poorly managed companies.  See “idiot managers”. 

There are loads of issues that people have with their jobs – but the key thing to remember is to not allow these issues to overwhelm you. 

Most of the peeves listed above can be addressed through by carefully discussing the matter with your colleagues and management as appropriate.

Remember, other people’s failings may be having a negative impact on your career, but you shouldn’t let that trigger your own negative actions.  It’s not always easy – sometimes the best course of action for you is to bite your tongue or walk way.  It may be hard to do this, but inaction can lead to increased stress (not good for you) and taking the wrong action can lead to career problems (no references after you shouted at your lazy boss! ).

Think carefully about any actions you take – sleep on it if it is a big decision.  But don’t let yourself be dragged down by the failings of others.