Comments on: 20 Things I Learned from My Bosses (Even the Bad Ones)

By: Slrman

Slrman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:32:53 +0000

20 bosses? You're a piker. In 13 years with IBM, I had 33 managers. Like yours, most were more or less average. The best and worst ones I had were both women. What does that prove? Women are like men when it comes to managerial ability, some have it, some don't.

Then there were all the people I worked for for many other companies. I learned the most important thing was that none of them like surprises. I also learned that, when it doubt, assume you have the authority. If it works out, you're a hero. If it doesn't, you'd have probably been blamed anyway.

By: Jenifer Olson

Jenifer Olson — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 01:15:19 +0000

Ha! It's oddly amusing that I see myself on both sides of this equation, having been subjected to — and guilty of subjecting others to — a number of poor management behaviors over the years. I'm definitely a better manager than I was 20 years ago, but wager I still have room to grow. :-)

In my view, it's important to realize bosses are human, too. Just like those they manage, they make mistakes and have bad days. In the end, respect, kindness and forgiveness have forged the best working relationships for me, whether I'm the employee or the boss.

By: WageSlave

WageSlave — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:17:38 +0000

Good for your character, but bad for your health! You are fortunate to have had so many good bosses. I must say I do remember my good bosses with great affection.

By: mvivas

mvivas — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:09:10 +0000

I worked for a few bosses (5). From all of them, I have kept in touch with 3 of them because they never saw me as an "employee" but saw me as a person. My current boss is awesome at that. Regardless of her high level of exposure, she always treats me with respect and dignity. With that said, I have learned to deal with difficult people through those average or awful bosses. A bad boss is good for your character!

By: WageSlave

WageSlave — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:30:28 +0000

I learned that every big company has one MONSTER employee in it, one incredibly nasty person whom everyone really hates. And if you are the temp, you usually end up working for them.

They are usually ironically in PR, for some reason! I wish I had learned No.20 a lot sooner.

By: CustomersAreAlways

CustomersAreAlways — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 21:41:59 +0000

Showin’ Love For an Uncaring Boss on Boss Day

Today is the one day that we recognize our bosses for all the hard work (or not) that they do. But what if the boss is a jerk? I had breakfast with my stepmother and her best friend this morning…

By: Marc V

Marc V — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 15:58:47 +0000

The toughest lesson I learned: perception is more important than reality.
You may think you’re right and you’ve done the right thing, but if the perception that you’ve done something wrong is out there then it doesn’t matter how “right” you think you are.

My wife and I recently took in a 3 and a 4 y.o. (foster kids), and reading through the list of 20 brings to mind some good applications for parents. The most difficult aspect of dealing with them is their reluctance to tell the truth (#9). It has been difficult to come up with incentives for them to tell the truth. It’s not like we can fire them since we’ll probably end up adopting them.

Then again, many kids would want to change their CEO’s (parents) given the opportunity, not knowing what they would be getting themselves into but just wanting a change.

By: Dr. Dorothy Mccoy

Dr. Dorothy Mccoy — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 06:35:57 +0000

I found the following quote for a PowerPoint I created on mentoring for my Police Executives. “If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes real good, then you did it. That’s all it takes to get people to win football games for you.Paul Bear Bryant”
Isn’t it the truth…

By: Kim

Kim — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 07:06:29 +0000

I’ve learned that attitude and commitment to integrity is established at the top. If the CEO is honest, ethical, motivated and personable, management and support staff will take his lead.

When training, be patient, positive, kind and thorough. Be a mentor.

Err on the side of kindness.

Remember what it was like to be in an entry level position.

Genuine praise is a great motivator.

Stay humble.

By: Angela Giles Klocke

Angela Giles Klocke — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:34:33 +0000

I think one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that a calm boss can diffuse any situation. When taking a complaint to a boss, if the boss refuses to listen or blows up, it just makes it so much worse. I’ve had times where I was fuming, took it to a boss and they listened calmly, and I was able to articulate my issues without being angry. And vice-versa — bosses who wouldn’t listen, and it led to my quitting!