Week of February 9th- Best boss you ever had

[andream]

We hear lots about bad bosses.  We share bad boss stories here to get some input.  

This week, let's take the emphasis off the negative and hold a DeskDemon LUV fest.

So come on. Dish.  The best boss you ever had and why? Do tell....

Andrea

Edited by andream on 07/02/04 02:13 PM.

[catsmeat]

Deffo the current one!  Last boss was a well-meaning chap, but no backbone  - this one has stood up for me against management and won.  He is aware that I actually have a home, a partner and a life, whereas other boss seemed to think that I didn't have a partner and in fact lived in the stationery cupboard.

In quiet patches (yes, I do get them) he'll tell me to go home and do my own thing - he'd rather I was out of the office and doing something practical, than sitting in the office bored out of my brain.  He is of course working on the basis that he can call in the favour at some time, but with flexibility like that, I don't complain when he does.

In the recent spell of cold weather, he *ordered* me to leave early in the afternoon, before it got dark and the roads started to get treacherous again.  Old boss wouldn't have even thought to do that.

And he's got a great sense of humour and musical tastes to out-weird mine which he shares with me on a regular basis.  What more could a girl want?

[gee4]

Don't think I've ever had the best boss in the world - some have been better than others but not sure there is such a thing.  After all, your boss is not your best friend but rather someone who manages your company or your team.  My current boss is ok - sometimes he will have a laugh and other times he is much more serious.  Hard to know when to have a lighthearted moment and when to look busy!

My ideal boss would be someone who can encourage me in my role, and who gets to know me over time.  I cannot stand a boss who listens to idle gossip and takes sides (have seen/heard it happen).  They should be treated with respect so it can be earned back.

G

[chevygirl55]

First of all offered me more money to start than I asked for.  Encouraged me daily to learn everything I could.  Took the time to teach me things in the industry that were not part of my job, but nonetheless, very helpful to know and understand. Never, ever lied to me.  If it was something he couldn't discuss, he said so.  Regular substantial raises in pay.  Bonuses.  

Said thank you regularly.

chevygirl55  

[twhfan]

The best boss I ever had wasn't always nice, but she was always fair.  She was a whirlwind of energy and so charismatic and dynamic that you could feel it when she entered a room.  She was picky, fussy, and very "high maintnenance" (her words), but she managed to inspire others to do more than they thought they were capable of.  She pushed me and prodded me and challenged me constantly, but she also guided and encouraged me and was very quick and lavish with her praise when deserved.  

She was a passionate believer in self-improvement and furthering one's education but always emphasized that we needed to do it for ourselves, not for her.  She would find funds and allow us to arrange our work schedules for any educational offerings that we wanted to attend.

She managed to blow the lid off our corporate culture (a dictatorship with the CEO and CFO calling every shot) and turn it into what it is today - a culture that listens to it's employees and gives employees a say in processes that affect our work.  I remember sitting with my mouth gaping open when she insisted that we shouldn't just accept "their word for why and how we do things - push them for explanations, make them justify what they want you to do".  We had NEVER questioned anything, we just did it and kept quiet.  To my amazement, when we did as she said, the CEO and CFO often couldn't give us explanations, and instead ended up listening to us and instituting our suggestions, just as my boss had had promised.  

On a personal note, when she learned that my dog was terminally ill, she encouraged me to take time off to seek different opinons for care and treatment, and when my dog died, she sat with me for a half hour while I sobbed. I had never lost control of my emotions at work before. She called me later that night at home to see if I was ok.  The dog meant the world to me, and she understood - she never said, "It's only a dog" or discounted my feelings.  It was the only glimpse of a "warm and fuzzy" side of her I ever saw.

In short, she was absolutely amazing.  I didn't always like her, but I always admired and respected her, and I truly felt she always had her employees' best interests at heart.  

I miss her. *sigh*

[spitfire78]

He was definitely an A-type personality - a true workaholic who pushed himself harder than he pushed anyone else (and was always amazed when I kept in step with him!).  He was funny (he'd answer the phone in his office [internal calls only] - "Joe's Pizza" - just for the heck of it!).  He ALWAYS backed me up and defended me against anyone (inside or outside).  If he found a mistake I had made, he would always say "I just found this error - I must have mis-spoke when I told you that", even when it was obvious the mistake was mine!  I found myself telling him - no, this mistake was mine!  He always, always thanked me for everything I did.   He would always find time to talk to me no matter how busy he was (and I have never seen anyone busier).  He cared about my family - always asking about them.  In fact, the last time I saw him was about a week and a half before he died.  We were both in tears knowing this was the last time we would see each other.  It was just before New Years - and the last thing he said to me was to wish my folks a happy new year!  I have never worked harder in my life than during the 18 years that I worked for him, but if I could have it all back, I'd take it back in a heartbeat!

[radaro]

That would be my current boss!  We only have four more days together before I leave him.  **sniff**

Although he is single, no kids, he always knew that my family is my first priority.  I had a laptop and cell phone (as per HIS request) so that when my kids were sick I could work from home.  Or if I had attend a school play, etc., he gave me the time off - so I wouldn't have to take vacation time.  He loved when the kids came to visit and even now, while he is on STL, my younger son sends him "artwork".

But more than that, he supported me throughout my career development, signing off on the requisitions so that the company paid for my courses.  He provided moral support and encouragement.

Also, from day to day he was great at giving feedback.  If you did something well, he complimented you but in a sincere way.  If you didn't do well, he treated you in a way that you wanted to do a better job.  If you just slacked off though, he would kick you in the butt!!

[Jackie G]

Radaro

what a super man!

What's STL though???

Jackie
www.iqps.org
Peer Moderator

[radaro]

SLT - short-term leave.

He left the middle of August and I ended up reporting to someone who was the complete opposite.  Boss #2 was disorganized and needed an assistant badly but pretty much refused to use my services.  You may have read about him in my "Frank and Ernest" stories.    But I guess I should save this on the "sound off" about the worst boss!

Thankfully, Boss #1 is due back late-February so whoever replaces me will be lucky!

[ozbound]

Best boss I ever had--best supervisor anyway--was my supervisor from my last job, Sharon. She was also a good friend--she always went out of our way to make sure our questions were answered and that we admins felt important. She took us out to lunch on our birthdays, and last Christmas she crocheted the most beautiful afghans for each of us! (I still use mine every evening in the winter--and I have to fight one or more of the kitties for it! ) She worked way too hard most of the time and  I'm sure she had to put up with a lot from the management at that company.  While I no longer miss that job, I sure miss Sharon!

[countrigal]

The best boss I've ever had, and I've had some good ones, would have to be my old supervisor from Little Rock, when I worked in the Medicine Office.  Ms. H was tough but you always knew where you stood with her, and she was direct to a fault.  If you messed up, she'd tell you about it but always privately and it never went further than the involved parties.  If someone else said something negative, she backed you up, even if in private she would have words for you.  She saw potential in me that I didn't see at the time, and is the one who pushed me to do more with my life and career, showing me what I was capable of.  She didn't micro-manage, but felt that if she gave you a task, you would do it and if you needed help you'd be smart enough to ask for it.  She expected you to be an adult and pro-active in your work, and awarded you appropriately for it.  Like another poster's best boss, she would release us early if the weather was bad, shoo us out of the office on time (unless a set-in-stone deadline was pending, everything could be picked back up in the morning and not sacrifice personal time), and if it was slow, she was known to implement the "59 minute rule" whereby the supervisor could release us up to 59 minutes early without charging leave.  She encouraged me to get my degree, and even though I no longer work for her, she has kept up with me and celebrated my promotions, my getting my degree, and my having a baby.  She is a great mentor in addition to having been my boss, and I was very lucky to get to work for her for that one short year.  She is counted as a friend, and one I'm lucky to have met.

CountriGal
Peer Moderator

[chris68]

Wow!  CG that's great!  I would have to say my current boss is the best boss I've had.  He can be strict and he does have a temper some days but once you learn his bark is always worse than his bite then you can handle it with a grain of salt so to speak.

He and I are alot alike in our backgrounds which makes it easy to get along with him.  However, his personality is totally opposite of mine.  He's a definte Type A personality full of energy and you know when he's in the room.  Nothing wrong with that, however, if he's having a bad day you'll know that too.  Short fused but once he fuses he gets over it just as quick. I am just the opposite, very quiet and very well reserved and I stew over little things for days and let them bother me more than I should and am working on that.

I've been with this boss (who is the CFO of the company) for 6 years now and working on my 7th this coming November.  Hard to believe but it's been a great working relationship and the more I get to know him the more I like he and his wife.  

I've had some really bad bosses that try to either micromanage (which I learned doesn't work for me) and others that just try to back stab you just to make herself look better (I was just out of college and didn't know of such things yet).  So when my current boss has a difficult day, I think back to those bad situations and think it could be much worse and try to learn from why he's the way he is too.  He's a great teacher and able to teach me the ins and outs of the company as it is a different line of work that what I've been acustomed too and is very interesting.  I haven't gotten bored yet and there are always different things that I can take on and try to improve or do on my own as growth potential.  Unfortunatley there isn't much room to move up but that's okay as I am quite happy working in the Accounting Department anyway.  

My boss will turn 60 at the end of the month and he teases me every time he checks to stock market and if it's up I'm not a happy camper cause that means he can retire. If it's down I do my happy dance and he's just shakin his head at me. LOL!  I'm hoping he will be here for a bit longer anyway.


Chris68
Peer Moderator

[hucks]

The best boss I had was when I worked in a firm of solicitors in Leeds - not only was he fair, talked me through things and gave me so much confidence in dealing with files and people, he always made me laugh (I'm not the best person first thing in the morning).  He trusted me impeccably and never ever raised his voice to me and would calmly explain any situation.  He constantly made me laugh and when he was busy; he would stick a pencil in each ear so if I looked through his office window and saw that I knew he didn't want any calls or to be disturbed, it was so much better than having a "Do Not Disturb" sign on his door.  I only left there following the death of my mother and I really do miss him but I keep in constant touch and he still makes me laugh.  He was generous with salary and bonuses but to be honest I was happy going to work everyday knowing that I wasn't one of those secretaries who tries to avoid their boss all the time.

[professionaltn]

We are in COMPLETE agreement G!! I also don’t think I’ve ever had a “best” boss. I likewise agree that my “desired” boss/employee relationship would be with someone who was a TRUE mentor, someone who listens to me, is interested in my professional life, but at the same time, realizes that I am more than my job…and lastly, someone who will “individualize” his/her employee interactions, and customize his/her management style(s) to fit the employee, and not vice versa.

I guess I’d like to work for a “true” leader/mentor.