Lessons from my best (and worst) bosses
Technically, there’s no such thing as a bad boss. Every person you encounter in the workplace provides lessons from which to improve yourself. Practically speaking though, I once had a boss who used a shirtless photo for his LinkedIn profile and I can’t say his behavior taught me much except how to horrify your employees and get fired shortly thereafter. For all others, different styles of leadership and relationship-building provided a window into the many ways a person can successfully manage a team and inspire others.
The Good
Answer questions without judgement: When I started at BMO, I knew absolutely nothing about banking or finance in general. I was one step away from keeping all my money under a mattress. After noticing how lost I appeared in meetings, my boss took the time to explain how the business operated and what basic terms meant. Though he was surely busy with more important tasks, his incredibly patience astounded me and because of his early efforts I was able to spend the next 3 years contributing beyond a digital scope.
Put mistakes into perspective: Mistakes happen, but during one role I made a pretty epic one. After seeing my near-panic my boss asked me (1) what happened and (2) what my plan was to fix it. Because I had a solution, she advised me to calm down and memorably said, “You’re not a doctor and no one is going to die from your decisions.” After screw-ups, employees feel terrible enough and I often wish more managers would share my old boss’s attitude.
Ask for feedback: I am equally terrible at receiving both compliments and criticism. Talking about myself just makes me uneasy and a previous supervisor found a genius method for tackling this common shortcoming. While administering annual reviews, he would ask for feedback on his performance as well. Instead of uncomfortably reciting a “compliment sandwich,” the reciprocal task allowed us to have a discussion and greatly improve our relationship. I also deeply respected my senior-level boss for requesting the opinions of his team and actively trying to incorporate the feedback.
The Bad
Respect: An important responsibility of management is helping to shape the career progression of direct reports. I once approached an old boss about the possibility of applying for an internal promotion. Her response? An exaggerated eye roll followed by a firm no. On later reflection, I was probably aiming a bit too high, but her reaction strained our working relationship. The old adage is true: people don’t forget how you make them feel.
The Ugly
Wear clothing: As I mentioned in my intro, I did report to a wildly inappropriate manager several years ago and I cannot share most of the tales from our (thankfully brief) period together. I did, however, see the major repercussions of a boss ignoring workplace boundaries and moving straight into frat-boy friendship. If your employees have a permanent cringe of their faces, it’s best to reconsider your actions. Also, wear clothing in all professional settings – the importance of this cannot be overstated and apparently does not go without saying.
