by Christine F. Della Monaca
Monster Staff Writer
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What makes a great boss?
According to the 200-plus Monster members who responded to our question -- "Who's the best boss you've ever had?" -- bosses who inspire loyalty in their direct reports respect them, both as workers and as people with a life outside the office.
These bosses appreciate their workers' efforts, stand up for them when necessary, take the time to teach and mentor as well as manage. They are approachable and often have a good sense of humor and fun.
Here are some of your stories of bosses to remember -- for all the right reasons:
Tough Boss Became My Best Boss
I was working as a temp and had completed my assignment. My supervisor asked if I would be interested in another temp job for a different department. This other person would scream at people, storm up and down the hallways and was generally someone to avoid. She was a small, compact steamroller whose path I didn't want to cross. But I needed the job, so I took it.
As it turned out, she was the best boss I've had in ages. The yelling? That was for people who didn't do their jobs. If you did what you needed to do, things were good.
There was no micromanagement. She took the time to find out what each person excelled at and then assigned tasks accordingly. Once assigned, she didn't hover. You either could do it or you couldn't. She was available for questions at any time without making you feel stupid for asking.
She put together one of the best teams I had ever worked with -- all people who knew their jobs and performed them well. She also stood up for us to top management -- she was the first boss I'd had in ages who worked hard to get the best for those who worked for her instead of sucking up all the credit (and bonuses) for herself. When she found out more about my skill sets and saw my work, she fought to get me hired on with the company instead of temping and negotiated a nice wage for me as well. When a problem with my special-needs son came up, she allowed me to adjust my hours so I could be home when he got off the bus -- as long as I got the work done on time, she was cool with it.
When she quit, I actually cried. It is not often you find someone who is willing to not micromanage and allows you to do your job in the best possible way.
I once had a boss who scrutinized every detail and could find something wrong with everything. But by the time she was through with me, I had core values that are greatly looked for and admired in candidates today. Yes, she had me redo projects more than once and could perfect almost every spreadsheet out there, but I learned detail and precision and to some extent, perfection. She encouraged me and provided me with the confidence needed to look farther than my desktop. I soon looked forward to her remarks about how a job can be done better and more efficiently. Today, I can appreciate any kind of boss and their values, and I integrate them and make them part of my own.
Famous Bosses
I worked for John Chambers (yes, that John Chambers who still leads Cisco). In more than 25 years in IT, John was the numero uno boss I have ever had. Even back then, he was an energetic, enthusiastic force who surrounded himself with competent professionals at every level.
He spoke directly, openly and honestly with everyone from the most senior executives to the office admins and interns, from the smoothest account managers and the top executives of the largest customers to the most technical gearheads. When he spoke to the troops, he energized everyone in the room. He never spoke down to anyone or dismissed anyone as not worthy of his attention. He always went out of his way to encourage all of us. At company presentations, he answered both the simplest and toughest questions. He was famous for placing a $20 bill on the podium and offering it to the person who asked the stupidest question. He never gave the $20 away. Even those many years ago, we knew deep down that John would enjoy tremendous success.
Henry Winkler (The Fonz from "Happy Days") was the best boss I've ever had. I worked for him when he was producer of "Hollywood Squares." He was extremely kind and caring and always took the time to find out how I was doing, even though I was just a lowly production assistant. When I was diagnosed with cancer, he sent me flowers in the hospital (the biggest bouquet I've ever seen) and brought me little gifts to cheer me up. His kindness made me want to be the best employee I could be. He is proof that a great boss can be both respected and well-liked.
A Respect for Work/Life Balance
About a month after I started to work for my boss, my 11-year-old son called me at work and asked if he could go on a weekend trip with one of his classmates and his family. I didn't have extra money, so I said I didn't think so. When I hung up, I started crying -- here I was telling my son he couldn't go with his friend, because I didn't have an extra $20.
The best boss I've ever had always understood family is important. I started working again five months after I had my baby. There were many times I had to pick her up from day care because she was sick. This happened often in the beginning. If a child runs a fever, they can't stay at school. It's the law. I'm thankful I have a boss who understands the world of a working parent.
The Importance of Communication
I worked for a large aviation corporation -- I served as the assistant to one of the directors. The things that made my boss likeable and tolerable were the following:
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Every morning, he would personally greet every member of his team with a personal hello, not out of duty but genuine respect.
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Every payday, he would personally hand-deliver the pay stubs to every member of the team and shake their hands and say thanks for a job well done. Keep in mind he is a senior staff member, and he could easily pass this on to his assistant.
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He was not a fan of email -- his method is that you need to get up from your office and/or cubicle and go and talk to the individual to interject communication on simple matters.
Teachings from Great Bosses
One of the best bosses I've ever had would say, "Catch someone doing something right." In other words, praise them for the good things rather than focusing on the negative, and coach them positively on the negative in order to further develop. Employees today need positive reinforcement in order to excel in their field. How can anyone expect their employees to become motivated or take the initiative to succeed when all they hear is the negative? I've used this phrase so often that it has become part of my everyday life.
The best boss I ever had was a master at building his staff's personal confidence and empowering them to do better than they even knew they could. He is an upbeat person and loves to laugh. He would often give his staff a literal pat on the back or a friendly hand on the shoulder, and with a huge smile, he would say something like, "You're the absolute greatest, you know that?" or "You're so damn smart, that's what I like about you" or something similarly uplifting. He would brag us up to anyone and everyone, and he motivated us like crazy. you let them do their jobs." He showed confidence in us, and as a result, we rose to the occasion and did our best work for him.
He encouraged us to use our creativity and make decisions for ourselves. He always asked for our opinions and input, and I heard him say more than once, "The trick is, you hire good people, and then
My boss actually had me believe that there was nothing in the world that could keep us from being successful. And to make matters even more interesting, he taught us how to have others have that same feeling when being lead by anyone within our group.
My boss walked in and asked what was wrong. I didn't tell him the entire story, but being so wise, he knew there was more. After I left the office, he called my son and asked him to come to the other business he owned in an hour, because he wanted to talk to him. We only lived two blocks away from that business, and my son had gone there with me many times.
When I got home from work that night, my son showed me $20 my boss had "advanced" him. He was going to go by every night after school for the next month and sweep the floor and take out the trash, and that would pay back the loan.
That job led to my son working for my boss all though junior high and high school. My boss owned a bowling pro shop. He gave my son a bowling ball, bag and shoes and taught him how to bowl. This led to my son being the number one youth bowler in the state of Florida for two years. It also taught both of us to step back from a problem and look at it in many ways -- there may be a solution from a very unexpected source.
I wasn't the only one my boss helped. He treated all of his employees like they were family.
