Notes on How to Become a Great Boss by Jeffrey Fox

My copy of the book, in MLA form, is:

Fox, Jeffrey J. How to Become A Great Boss: The Rules for Getting and Keeping the Best Employees. New York: Hyperion, 2002.

You can get a copy of the book on Amazon or your local library.

If you’re interested in listening to the audiobook, you can get two free audiobooks with your 30-day free trial on Audible.

About Jeffrey J. Fox

Jeffrey J. Fox is an awesome writer who writes clearly and concisely. His words are  gems of knowledge that can be absorbed and appreciated, enjoyably, in  short sittings. Most of Jeffrey’s books can be read cover to cover in as  little as 2 hours. Fox’s wisdom and stories are both instructional and  entertaining. Professionally, Jeffrey Fox is a marketing consultant,  speaker, and author.

My notes on his book How to Get to the Top are also available.

My Review on How to Become A Great Boss

I love Jeffrey Fox’s books. They are quick to read and the  lessons are easy to put straight into action. Fox uses short stories and  case studies to support his points. As I have said before, the  knowledge and wisdom that you obtain from a Jeffrey Fox book is unlike  any that you can get from a textbook. If you are a boss or someone who  has ambitions of becoming a boss, this book is a must read. It provides  insights on hiring and firing employees, leadership, and humility.

Hiring and Firing Notes

• “If there is a job that does not directly or indirectly get or keep a  customer, that job is redundant and should be eliminated or outsourced”  (Fox 9-10).
• Great bosses and great companies need to constantly train and  improve their employees to keep the company competitive. If an employee  can’t or won’t provide value then that employee needs to go (Fox 13).
• Hire slow and fire fast because mishires are very expensive. To  avoid mishires, slow down the hiring process for important jobs and  expensive candidates. Trust yourself and do interviews, tests,  background checks, consult advisers, and scrutinize both the failures  and successes of the candidate (Fox 21-23).
• When you must fire an employee, obey all laws, company procedures,  and act responsibly. Fire fast for the sake of the company and also so  the rest of the employees don’t develop any negative qualities such as  becoming doubtful of the boss’s competency (Fox 26-27).
• The supervisor can veto the hiring choice of the subordinate so the  hiring manager needs the supervisor’s approval for a new employee. This  helps to reduce mishires (Fox 32-33).
• “If the boss has a hunch that the candidate is weak or has a fatal  flaw, then there will be a veto. If the boss feels the hire is  problematic but not a certain reject, and the hiring manager is in  favor, there will be no veto” (Fox 34-35).
• Only hire people with the right attitude and ability (Fox 36).
• Look into the ‘Ten Ds’ when an employee has a performance problem:  debt, divorce, disease, drugs, death, depression, drinking, dice,  deviancy, and dalliance. Have the employee commit to an improvement plan  or terminate him or her (Fox 39).
• A great boss deters future problems during the hiring process by  being clear on compensation, benefits, work product, hours, company  culture, and behavior. Make sure the new employee understands (Fox 57).
• Hire the best because the best only want to work with the best.  Mediocre people with hire even more mediocre people. Keep the standards  high (Fox 61).
• “Having to check the expense accounts means you have the wrong people” (Fox 108).

Humility Notes

• “The careful boss listens and observes before making any decisions  about people. The great boss does not make snap judgments about anyone”  (Fox 16).
• “Treat people the way you wish to be treated. People understand  reality. Treat people with dignity and even the most difficult  circumstances get better” (Fox 31).
• Great bosses are mentors, teachers, and coaches. They are so with humility (Fox 44).
• “Solid principles are to a boss as a compass is to a sailor” (Fox 49).
• “Work hard with pride, discipline, integrity, and respect for your associates” (Fox 51).
• “The great boss remembers his or her roots, and remembers who helped  along the way. Never forget that your success was not earned by you  alone” (Fox 52).
• Pay attention to employees and make them your sole focus when  meeting or speaking. Ask questions and listen. Be polite and courteous  (Fox 72-73).
• Never be too important to listen to, and learn from, anybody. Have  respect for everyone regardless of background, status, or title (Fox  77).
• “Employees must know that they can freely tell you what you have to  hear, not what you want to hear. A great rule from the great boss is  ‘never let me make a mistake'” (Fox 82).
• “Seven common words [‘I don’t know. What do you think?’] – and the  courage, self-assurance, and modesty to use them – make for uncommon  wisdom” (Fox 87).
• “Heed what you say. Heed how you say it. Your words carry weight; speak with discretion” (Fox 91).
• Do not blurt thoughts or participate in gossip because the great  boss cannot say anything that may unintentionally be misinterpreted (Fox  92).
• “To belittle someone is to be little. Don’t be-little; be big” (Fox 102).
• “The great boss is often thankful, humble, and lucky. It is an  attractive quality that attracts other good people, an inexpensive way  to perpetuate good luck” (Fox 116).
• A great boss takes responsibility for both his or her own mistakes  as well as the mistakes of the team. A great boss will also give credit  publicly to employees for any success (Fox 133).
• The great boss does not create scapegoats. He or she will stand up for the team and take the heat (Fox 148).
• Great bosses will not win the office pool. They will contribute, but  if they win they will find a way to pass it on for another drawing by  claiming bragging rights or another creative solution (Fox 159).

Leadership Notes

• “Able and motivated people are key to an enterprise’s success” (Fox 3).
• Great bosses lead an organization to success with their attitude and  presence, not with policies. Companies will do what the boss does; for  instance, if the boss is always late then employees will follow suit  (Fox 6-7).
• Remember that the customer is the real boss because without their money there is no job (Fox 11).
• Sometimes purging personnel files of petty and trivial issues can  lead to huge improvements so long as you tell your employees and show  sincere faith in their capabilities. In other words, you don’t need to  fire everyone and hire new people if you inherit a ‘bad’ team (Fox  17-18).
• “If the boss allows mediocrity, the boss validates mediocrity” (Fox 19).
• There are internal problems that can cause performance problems with  employees and they are demoralized people, de-motivation, and poor  direction (Fox 40).
• There are situations where you can forgive a major mistake and use the opportunity to motivate the employee (Fox 48).
• “Give the task, job, or project to the least senior (possibly least  paid) person who can do the job properly. This is delegation, and the  key to efficiency” (Fox 59).
• “The great boss makes people make decisions” (Fox 64).
• “Ask, ‘what would you do if I were dead?'” (Fox 64).
• Tell the employees the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ but leave the ‘how’ up  to them. Be a resource and occasionally check in on the employee and the  project. Don’t do the job for the employee (Fox 66).
  “You get what you inspect, not what you expect” (Fox 69).
• “Successful organizations keep their promises. People who keep their  promises flourish in good companies. The great boss makes sure his or  her people flourish” (Fox 81).
• “The great boss encourages food-based mini-celebrations” because it  is a good time to meet and mingle with employees while surprising and  thanking them for their work. Send the left overs home with your  employees (Fox 89).
• Give surprise, unexpected bonuses and rewards for a job well done (Fox 98).
• “The great boss stands for what the organization stands for. The  great boss does not allow the company name to be sullied and does not  allow people publicly linked to the company to defame the company” (Fox  112-113).
• “Be firm, fair, and friendly, but not a friend” (Fox 117).
• The boss and the organization may lose but they do not quit (Fox 121).
• “Good people make the boss look good. Motivated, well-trained people  can make the boss look great. And the great boss knows it” (Fox 126).
• Invest most of your time with your best people. You wouldn’t invest  most of your money with low-return companies. Don’t make that mistake  with your time (Fox 129).
• Teach for ten minutes a day. That’s forty hours a year which is the equivalent to at least one college course credit (Fox 135).
• Great bosses do not allow policies to hinder performance or business. More policies equates to less innovation (Fox 136-140).
• “Energy energizes. A great boss’s energy energizes the organization.  An energetic organization always beats the lethargic organization” (Fox  156).

“The Great Boss Simple Success Formula”

This portion below is quoted directed from Jeffrey Fox on pages 4 through 5.

1. Only hire top-notch, excellent people.
2. Put the right people in the right job. Weed out the wrong people.
3. Tell the people what needs to be done.
4. Tell the people why it is needed.
5. Leave the job up to the people you’ve chosen to do it.
6. Train the people.
7. Listen to the people.
8. Remove frustration and barriers that fetter the people.
9. Inspect progress.
10. Say “thank you” publicly and privately.

Get the Book

Did you love it? You can get a copy of How to Get to the Top on Amazon or at your local library. If you're interested in listening to the audiobook, you can get two free audiobooks with your 30-day free trial on Audible. If you enjoyed reading my notes, I have more book notes posted too!

My book notes are not a good substitute for reading the  actual book. There is a ton of information that I leave out. My notes  are mostly things that I thought I’d want to reference again. That said,  I hope they were useful to you!

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