24 signs you're a good boss — even if it doesn't feel like it

Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design/Flickr

It's lonely at the top.

Being the boss comes with a ton of pressure. And when you're in a management position, it can be difficult to evaluate how you're doing.

Are you striking the right balance between commanding respect and appearing accessible? Are your employees responding well to your style of leadership? Are any of your actions breeding resentment in the office?

Being a good boss is crucial for your organization — a third of employees in one survey revealed they'd quit a job due to a bad manager, as Business Insider previously reported.

So how can managers tell if they're doing a good job? You can't exactly go wandering around the office asking people — that would look pretty weak. Employee satisfaction and engagement surveys aren't a bad idea.

Here are other, more subtle signs that you're killing it as the boss:

You don't have obvious favorites

Playing favorites is a great way to torpedo office morale. If you make it clear that a certain person is the apple of your eye no matter what, that'll just encourage your other employees to give up on trying to impress you.

You treat your employees like human beings

Unfortunately, some bosses seem to feel that hurling insults and abuse at people is an effective motivational technique. In most cases, this simply isn't true. If you value your employees as human being, you're already a huge step above many managers.

You're willing to try new things

Good bosses adopt certain methods because they're the best way of doing things — not because they've just fallen into certain habits. The best managers give their employees a little room to experiment and innovate.