Career Insanity – What makes a good boss for you?

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March 5, 2012 by 1 Comment

In step 1 of the Cure for Career Insanity we identified we discussed identifying why our Boss Sucked! In step 2, we want to identify what we actually want!

What makes a good boss for you?

Notice I did not ask what makes a good boss.  This is very individualistic.

I have clients who want and very much need someone who is very collegial or almost a peer.

I have other clients who very much want someone who is in control.

What I find most common is the desire to have a boss who is politically astute and gives my client complete control to do what needs to get done. It is what I call, Get out my way and let me do the job Syndrome.

My favorite boss was Theresa who managed the IBM AIX Briefing Center in Austin.  She was phenomenally good at hiring superstars and then leaving them alone to do their jobs.  If anything went wrong or there was political conflict she was right there to back us up. She was not technical competent to make technical decisions and left those to her team.  Best manager I have ever had.

I have often run into young engineers who thought their boss had to be a better engineer than them.  I would tell them not true.  I ran into the same thing in schools.  Teachers thought principals needed to have extensive and successful classroom experience.  Boy is that so not true.  It takes a totally different personality makeup to be a successful principal than a successful teacher.

What makes a good boss for you?

What characteristics do you value in your boss?  Who has been your best boss and what made them so good?

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Comments

  1. Liz Gregory says:
    March 5, 2012 at 2:38 pm

    Best bosses – Both Vicki and Curtis were good for me (Principal and Assistant, separate schools). They backed me when I needed it, would do what I asked because they respected that I knew what they needed, and would help me make decision when I couldn’t see past all the data and frustration to do so on my own.

    I feel the same way about my doctor – you need to listen to me and respect that I have a vested interest in my own health and have done my research, and talk to me about whatever the issue is.

    I guess I seek a partner in whichever aspect with as much or more knowledge about things that are not part of my daily or work life who can make executive decisions when I’m out of my depth, but will let me control those things which I am competent to control.

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