What is a boss? According to the dictionary, a boss is (a) a person in charge of a worker or an organization, or (b) the verb which means to give orders in a domineering manner.
I own several companies including real estate offices, a law practice, a consulting firm, a fashion startup company, and a women's clothing boutique. Between all these organizations I've counted up all the bosses I have and there are at least 300 of them. They are the real estate agents at my firm (270+), the administrators who do everything from answering phones to paying bills, the coaches and mentors at the consulting firm, the short sale negotiators, closing attorneys, and the manager and her team that run the boutique. There are 300 bosses at my companies and I am not one of them.
By its very definition a boss is a person in charge of a worker. As I see it, successful organizations are those where the dynamic is reversed -- where the workers are in charge of the management (i.e., the employees are the bosses, not the other way around) -- the employees are responsible for steering the ship, righting it when it gets off course, and setting a policy so that there is culture and camaraderie amongst all the team members.
I don't decide what new technology is brought to my companies, the people that work there do. I don't make the ongoing decisions as to how things are done, the people of the organization do. When I follow through on the wishes of the people in charge, I am rewarded with growth through retaining the great people who choose to pick my companies as their place to work, while simultaneously attracting others like them who choose to leave there current company (usually the kind where there is one boss and lots of employees rather than the other way around) to come work at one of mine.
A boss is also someone who gives orders in a domineering manner. Do bosses really do that? I can't imagine myself giving orders that way and luckily none of my 300 bosses do that to me. My bosses and I have great relationships. I work hard to fulfill their wishes -- as to what our organizations should provide and the direction in which we should head. Of course, like any employee, sometimes I screw up and when I do my boss quits my firm and finds one more suitable to their liking. This is how things should work. This is like survival of the fittest for great businesses. If you take good care of your people and keep the organizations thriving the way they want, people will stay, and when you don't, your bosses will talk with their feet.
If your business is struggling as far as growth, culture, and even customer service, consider firing the current boss, YOU. Then, simply promote all of your employees to a new and exciting roll that they will thrive in. They will excel in building something amazing because they are not just the boss, they are the boss with one amazing employee who listens and takes action... YOU.
Happy Bosses Day! I am humbled and grateful. Some people live a lifetime never having the opportunity to work for even ONE good boss... but I get to work for more than 300 of them. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO.