Who was your best boss and what can you learn about yourself?

Recently, my old CEO Bart Becht retired from JAB and one of his lieutenants wrote a nice piece on LinkedIn celebrating his unique style and his legacy.

It got me thinking of the impact great bosses have, and how we can overlook what we learned from them, instead preferring to look further afield at the leadership rock stars like Steve Jobs and Richard Branson.

It reminds me of an interview a few years back when I was asked ´Tell me about the best boss you ever had?”… and then when I´d finished talking with great conviction about what I admired in him, the interviewer followed up with “Now, tell me which of those qualities that you demonstrate? I was stumped. I left the room with a niggle, but then in true “could have, would have, should have” fashion, I did nothing about it until recently.

So I´d suggest that you ask yourself the same 2 questions.

What qualities did you admire in the best boss you ever had?, and
Which of those qualities do you, (your team would say that you), demonstrate?
Based on my experience with clients, I´d suggest that there are 3 things that might come up

- They were competent

- They had integrity

- They cared about you

And the ranking is important here. I´m guessing that your “best boss” choice will score strongest on the third factor - empathy, having your best interests in mind. This can mean "tough love" when needed and isn´t fluffy.

And when you consider your own leadership style, if your ranking differs, then it´s worth reflecting on why.

Many leaders, especially first time leaders, over-focus on professional competence whilst neglecting the more personal side. I was one of them.

My Oscar goes to a boss who demonstrated those 3 things in spades. To give a bit more flavour;

He empowered his team with the phrase “If I need to do your job, I don’t need you”
He did management by walking around – he had a great sense of what was going on in the organisation, without the need for engagement surveys etc
He had integrity and managed the ambiguity/ politics of the organisation supremely with the mantra, “what is best for the business?”
He was decisive and fast, and nearly always right, and
He kept things simple and believed you could enjoy your job.
Now he wasn’t an angel and asserted his authority when needed in management meetings, but that was no bad thing.
So what would your team say about you? Would you make their “best boss” category, And if not, why not?

And if you have (had) a great boss, why not tell them!