Best Bosses

A good boss makes his men realize they have more ability than they think they have so that they consistently do better work than they thought they could.  - Charles Erwin Wilson

I receive writing prompts weekly from  Mama's Losin' It.  I love her ideas but nothing has really grabbed me quite like the prompt I saw this morning.

What did you learn from your best boss?

 

I've been working for a really long time and I've had a few best bosses. Here is what comes to mind today.

 

Jan .....

Back in the day, customer service was a priority. Can you even imagine? We were taught that no matter what we were doing, if a customer walked into our department we were to approach them with a friendly smile and helpful attitude. We were true salespeople. The customer visited us because they were seeking something and our job was to help them find it. I loved it. It wasn't about making commissions; I worked for minimum wage. She taught me about heartfelt helpfulness. She will never know how her guidance helped form my love for serving the public.

 

Tom ....

I worked for a Japanese guy named Tom who always had a smile on his face and never said a negative thing. He taught me the art of talking with the customer. There was also Linda, who taught me to pick up the ringing phone by the second ring. That advice has stuck with me through 30+ years of working. We sold a lot of gold and silver at the bank and made good friends with our customers. Those two people were instrumental in forming my idea of what a good boss should be. They led by example. I have forgotten many things over the years so it is a telltale sign that they made an impression so much that I remember their names.

 

Jane ....

She taught me that I could do anything, even twist a wrench and put together my own desk and plug in a computer. She was always positive and encouraged a "can do" attitude. She was a hard worker and never said a harsh word to anyone. I like that in a boss.

 

Ginny ....

I worked with a team of therapists who provided outstanding service to the public in the mental health field and she was the team leader. We were on the cutting edge of moving the service model from individual counseling sessions to brief group therapy. It was a difficult transition and Ginny pulled it off with her winning charm and gentle mannerisms. She was a good listener and she had a way of garnering ideas from everybody and put ideas in action. She made work seem like fun ... a key element for being a good boss, in my humble opinion.

Susan ...
Not me, another Susan. I had the opportunity to work with her recently and she taught me, by example, on a daily basis to be kind and find solutions. Her supervising style was such that I just really wanted to go to work everyday and be a part of the team. I learned how to "push back the push back" in a way that is kind and effective. Love that!

How about you? Tell me about your favorite bosses.

love, susan