I bet you can list the things you like best – and least – about each of your bosses.
Bosses are powerful influences in our careers, for better or worse.
I thought about all of my bosses in my last 20 years, and about what I did or didn’t appreciate about each. Out of 14, three stood out as absolutely great bosses.
What was so special about my three great bosses?
1. THEY WERE SAFE
-I trusted them, and I knew I could share honest feedback with them, including openly talk about my mistakes.
-Their demeanor was predictably calm, solution oriented, and logical.
-They openly admitted their shortcomings.
2. THEY HELD ME TO HIGH STANDARDS
-Working for them meant stretching, learning, and evolving: status quo was not OK.
-Expectations were clear.
-There were consequences for not achieving results.
3. THEY ENCOURAGED ME
-Each understood there was more than one way to succeed, and they supported different paths to success.
-They were my biggest cheerleaders, in private discussion and public forums.
-They offered opportunities for greater exposure, allowed appropriate autonomy, and supported personal development.