The movie tough guy of all tough guys was Jack Palance. And in the movie City Slickers he got to be both tough and comedic as grizzled and wise old cowboy Curly Washburn.
Curly is every wise old cowboy in every classic cowboy movie you’ve ever seen. He scares the city slickers led by Billy Crystal to death. He knows all about cows and horses and roping and riding and other cowboy lore.
He also knows the secret of life, or so he says. He scowls at Crystal and his friends, holds up a finger and tells them that the secret is “just one thing.”
We never find out what Curly’s secret of life is. But it’s OK. I’ve got more modest ambitions.
I know the secret of being a great boss. It’s one thing.
I’ve studied top performing bosses for decades. I’ve compared what the great ones do to what their peers do.
I’ve seen all kinds of great supervisors. They come in all shapes and sizes and ethnic backgrounds. They come from both available genders.
They do a lot of things differently from each other but they all do one thing. Imagine Curly Washburn holding up one finger while I tell you.
They touch base a lot.
Simple, huh? Were you expecting something ultra-sophisticated? Complex, maybe?
It’s none of those things. It’s just simple and powerful. Here’s why.
If you touch base a lot, it’s not a major event. Touching base a lot builds familiarity with you and with your habit of checking in. That’s a good thing because it lets other things happen easily.
When you touch base a lot, it’s easy to have conversations. Some of them will be about work. Some will be about other things. Almost all will be informal.
Those conversations are how you learn about your team members. Those conversations are the way they learn about you and what matters to you. They’re where you have the opportunity to coach, counsel, encourage, and correct.
When you touch base a lot you catch problems when they’re new and small and easy to fix. That makes everyone’s life easier.
I’m not a grizzled old cowboy and I don’t know the secret of life. But I do know the secret of being a great boss. It’s one thing and it’s simple.
Touch base a lot.
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