Musings from the CU Suite

Written by Anthony Demangone

As I squeezed into my seat during a recent plane ride, I began eavesdropping.  The gentleman next to me was discussing how much he loved his current boss.

"I can easily say that he's the best boss I ever worked for.  In fact, I told him last week that if he ever left, I'd follow him to his new job - no questions asked."

Wow.  

I waited for a lull in his conversation and tapped his arm.  After fessing up to my eavesdropping, I asked him what made his boss so special.  He didn't hesitate for a nano-second.

"He backs us up, no matter what.  He's very supportive of our work and our personal lives.  I mean, he really cares that we're productive and happy.  Oh, and he doesn't tolerate (********).  They don't last long where I work."  

Let's just substitute "jerk" for that censored word. I asked him whether that was all.  Again, he didn't hesitate.

"That's it?  What else is there?"

With that conversation mind, here's an article I came across - 8 Core Beliefs of Extraordinary Bosses. (Inc.com).  As always, I urge you to read the whole article.  But here's a snippet.

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3. Management is service, not control.

Average bosses want employees to do exactly what they're told. They're hyper-aware of anything that smacks of insubordination and create environments where individual initiative is squelched by the "wait and see what the boss says" mentality.

Extraordinary bosses set a general direction and then commit themselves to obtaining the resources that their employees need to get the job done. They push decision making downward, allowing teams form their own rules and intervening only in emergencies.

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And a question to you, readers.  Look back over your career and picture your favorite boss.  What qualities made him or her your favorite?  Feel free to share.  Have a great week, guys.