Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The Perfect Boss

It has been more than 20 years since this Blogger CEO has reported to a boss, or even a Board of Directors, since I am the majority owner of a global company; though ultimately, I do report to God above, our clients and customers.  In any case, in the prior 20 years of my professional life, I probably reported to 12 or more bosses.   Several of the men I reported to were empty suits, when men still wore suits.   They looked the part; but with a scratch below the surface, they were a one inch deep lake because there was no there, there.   A few of the women I reported to were smarter; but overly controlling and sometimes distant. 

Even so, I made the best of it and learned something from all of them, both what to do and what not to do in order to be successful in business because each of us is the sum of our experiences.   To be clear, I am hardly the Perfect Boss; but having worked for so many, I think I can describe the attributes of the Perfect Boss, even if I don't always practice what I preach. 

The Perfect Boss is a good listener seeking all sides of an argument before making decisions.   The Perfect Boss is smart, well educated, articulate, detail oriented, when necessary and a good communicator.   The Perfect Boss is able to delegate work to other people because working through others is the only way to succeed.   The Perfect Boss is a change agent always looking for better ways to get things done.   The Perfect Boss is a problem solver, able to bring people together, to get big things done.  

The Perfect Boss is able to sort information quickly to turn gray into black and white.   The Perfect Boss is empathetic in dealing with other employees.   The Perfect Boss knows how to manage up, down and sideways, within an organization, using personal relationships to achieve success.   The Perfect Boss is decisive, particularly in bad times, or in the face of a company crisis.  Finally, the Perfect Boss is a mentor to direct report employees to assist them with their career development. 

This CEO Blogger has never worked for the Perfect Boss.   And, it may very well be that the Perfect Boss does not exist.   All of us, in a management position, can only strive to be the Perfect Boss.   It is a big hill to climb. 

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