Best Bosses

[Pan_Sonic_000]

Most of my bosses have been somewhere between awful and decent. Only a few have been really good.

To my surprise, my temporary / stealth gig in retail has found me working under the tutelage of one of the best bosses I've ever had. Thing is, the entire store hates her to the point there's an ongoing mutiny and people requesting transfers and that sort of stupid bullshit. But I really like her and, most importantly, I respect her. The feelings seem mutual. Anyway, after some thought, I realized why I have this opinion of her:

1) She's been doing this for 20+ years, but never pulls the seniority card and doesn't tolerate it from anyone else. There are things to get done, and that's as far as it goes. She's the first in line to help anyone, regardless of who they are or their time in the company. She'll change the toilet paper in the bathrooms or be out back with truck drivers throwing pallets around because that's what needs to get done. Where tasks rank in terms of social stratification means nothing to her.

This confirms my long-standing belief that the best leaders more closely resemble servants than dictators.


2) She's incredibly direct without being arrogant. She'll look you in the eye and tell you straight up what she thinks without all the bullshit fluff.


3) If she's wrong, she'll admit it without pretense. She doesn't blame shift or try to hide behind excuses. She'll tell you she's wrong, apologize and then make good on it. She's got solid character.


Who are the best bosses you've had? And what made them the best? If you're in a leadership role, what traits / beliefs do you hold?

[Thevenin]

To my surprise, my temporary / stealth gig in retail has found me working under the tutelage of one of the best bosses I've ever had. Thing is, the entire store hates her to the point there's an ongoing mutiny and people requesting transfers and that sort of stupid bullshit. But I really like her and, most importantly, I respect her.

She sounds great. Why don't people like her?

[Pan_Sonic_000]

She sounds great. Why don't people like her?

I can't figure this out. My guess is that her gender has a large part to do with it. Also, retail is full of dumb lazy people who resent being held to higher standards than just showing up.

[Madrigal]

This nazi guy, actually. He did me a huge favor once to cover up for me, and he had no reason to do that. He doesn't work with us anymore, and now I'm probably screwed.

All the women bosses I've had were complicated. They were either huge bitches who paid me on time, or total sweethearts but paid me late. I guess that makes sense.

Never wind up in bed drunk with your boss. Even if they're really great. I mean, nothing happened, but that was... hopefully a unique and irreproduceable experience.

[Ptah]

I've been quite fortunate to have had some great bosses. They've all been very live-and-let-live, dont-care-as-long-as-work-gets-done. Most have also exhibited what I call the "vanguard manager" thing, where they run interference for me, defend and promote me to higher management, etc (in return, I make sure I have their back, that deadlines are met no matter what, and that we'll never face the same problem twice, insofar as my work can change things).

It was from the best of them, as such, that I learned how to implement my own natural disposition to "managing" others. I do what I can to provide all the resources, run all the interference necessary for you to do your job, I don't hover over your shoulder, and I don't ask the irrational unless I'm feeling it from above. As long as the work gets done, great. I've got your back if you've got mine, etc.

[LordLatch]

My current boss and I get along well. He's just like me.

[avolkiteshvara]

My current boss. Russian chick.

She is ISTJ but has alot of NT in her family. So I get a pass as being an borderline member of her goofy academic family. She'll let me run with ideas even though she doesn't understand them.

[C.J.Woolf]

My favorite manager didn't know my job, but then he knew he didn't have to know my job because I knew my job. He knew his job was to make it easier for me to do my job. He could tap-dance in a client meeting like no other; it was a pleasure to watch him doing it.

We understood each other. He said stuff to me that would probably offend more sensitive folks, like "Great job... That's all a lot of hot air, but what he hey." I laughed. I also laughed when a group of us were getting into a rental car he was driving and he said, with a big grin on his face, "Who wants to ride in the death seat?"

He was loose. He didn't add stress to his people, unlike another manager I had who was wound up way too tight and transmitted his stress to his people.

[skip]

Hm... I've had very few good bosses. The ENTJs were by far the worst. I would rather live in a cardboard box than work for an ENTJ ever again.

Good qualities in a boss:

- listens to my ideas
- gives me "big picture" info before details
- has a sense of humor
- speaks succinctly and literally
- logical, predictable behavior
- rational, unemotional criticism
- basically cheerful or at least neutral demeanor
- gets the heck out of my way so I can do what I do well
- NO micromanaging
- NO meetings (unless we're just sitting and talking over lunch, that's okay)

Frankly, I prefer to be the boss. I am not good at being a peon.

[flurps]

None.