Do you click with your boss/Best Boss that you have had?

[maddythebeagle]

Curious to know if folks interested in FIRE really have had great experiences....obviously, I would assume that most here would rather do without one... Where does not having a boss rate on the list?

 

[Webzter]

Boss is a great friend. We're going out for beers tomorrow night. May plan a geocaching outing.. weekend trip. He's one of the reasons these 35 hour work weeks are so bearable.

 

[bssc]

My current boss is pretty good. I proposed to one of the best bosses I had 20 years ago but she turned me down. She didn't want to leave her husband.

 

[thefed]

wow. my best boss was when i was only 17 and still doing bad things. he was a highly paid professional for fortune 500 company...and shall we say he was my client? As was HIS boss. It worked out really well for all of us, as he had a KICK A$$ studio (bachelors pad) walking distance from work...downtown. Lots of fun over there!!

Also am relatively close with most recent boss. I discovered she was a pot smoker, and although i did not smoke at the time, i let her know i knew...and she was extra nice to me after that. A year or so later we ended up smokin up at a work xmas party. crazy.

 

[SteveR]

Most of my bosses were less than adequate in many ways. I had a few...a very few...that were of any real value to me or the organization. A good boss is a treasure and seemingly just as rare.

I tried to be a good boss. I believe I was and the feedback I received was usually very positive but there are always times when you have to do what upper management wants and not what YOU want and that makes you look bad in your employees's eyes. Once I was FI my managment of people improved considerably because I did not have to worry about keeping my job. I could do what I wanted and not always what my management thought was best. I was able to get past the politics and do what was right for the company and my people.

I am happy to no longer have a boss or be a boss. I did my time and I am happily done with being in management. It is a tough job and a thankless one in many ways. If you have a good boss be thankful for what they are doing to make your life easier; it could be worse.

 

[maddythebeagle]

I am happy to no longer have a boss or be a boss. I did my time and I am happily done with being in management. It is a tough job and a thankless one in many ways. If you have a good boss be thankful for what they are doing to make your life easier; it could be worse.

Good points...I have had the same boss for 10 years or so and have been thinking about moving on or not....Things have kinda went downhill since he got a new micromanaging boss and since our budget problems started....Even said during my last perf. eval. that if he was going to get micromanaged that he was going to do the same to us....MF'er...The good and bad thing about 10 years, is you know where the buttons are going both ways...Funny thing is that I have been a high performer and he has hired a few shitbags, one of which his boss had to fire when he stupidly let him stay beyond his 6 month probation....(ended up getting fired for sexual harassment, threatening coworkers in an email, and stealing).....I am just starting to understand that engineers make terrible mangagers....at the same time, I dont think I want to be one either...

 

[CyclingInvestor]

I am 49, retired last year. I had only one boss in my 27+ years of programming that
I disliked, back around 1999-2000. My last boss 2001-2006 was one of my better
ones. The traits of a good boss for me :
1) keep all other managers off my back
2) tell me what you want done, not how to do it. no micromanaging !
3) as few meetings as possible. email can replace most of them.

Bosses were not really a factor for me to FI/RE. Removing economic uncertainty
(from the chance of being laid off) and the desire to free up my schedule were the
big driving factors.

 

[Outtahere]

Most of my bosses were pretty good, one I learned a lot from and still use his teachings to this day. If I didn't like my boss I just found another job. Now I'm the boss and try to treat people the way I wanted to be treated.

 

[donheff]

I am happy to no longer have a boss or be a boss. I did my time and I am happily done with being in management. It is a tough job and a thankless one in many ways. If you have a good boss be thankful for what they are doing to make your life easier; it could be worse.

My experience was similar to Steve's. I liked most of my bosses and they liked me but most of them (and probably I) had substantial flaws. For anyone who cares about their work and their workers, being a manager is very stressful. On balance I enjoyed my career and would not warn anyone away from that path but I wouldn't manage anything ever again - not even a family picnic.

 

[kaudrey]

I'm still working, but let's see...

Loved the first two. 3rd and 4th ones were OK. Didn't like the 5th (didn't work for her very long, though). Liked the 6th and 7th. Really like the current one.

Overall, I guess I've been pretty lucky. When I had staff, I generally liked all of them and thought they were very good workers.

 

[DangerMouse]

Most of my bosses have been reasonable. The person I report to directly now is a great person, however even a great boss can not overcome the overall atmosphere of neediness and whininess that pervades the air in my current working situation.

 

[Goonie]

The boss at my 1st j*b out of HS was a real a**hole.....EVERYBODY thought he was an a**hole...not just me! Stayed there for 3 weeks and took another j*b offer.

2nd boss was really good, as was the assistant boss. They told you what they wanted done, and then left you alone to do it! If you had a question or needed assistance they were available.

I then got transferred (at their choosing) to another dept. and the boss was really good also. I was given an assigned job, was instructed what to do and how to do it on the 1st day, and that was it....didn't require any supervision for the 18 months in that dept.

Transferred (at my choosing) to another dept. for better pay and benefits. My 1st boss there was the re-incarnation of Hitler......a very demanding, half-whit, with very little, or no, common sense. W*rked for that jerk for 14 years until we convinced his boss, that the guy was a harassment lawsuit just waiting to happen. He became convinced when I and my co-w*rkers told him we were meeting with an attorney after w*rk that day. 3 days later the boss was put out to pasture.

The next boss (who we got to help choose!) was absolutely the best boss ever!!! He came up through the ranks, so he knew all the BS we had dealt with in the past. We had ONE employee meeting during his 7 or 8 year tenure. At that meeting he told us 2 things....."You guys know your job...just do it!" and "Don't ever do something stupid that's gonna get my a** chewed out!" We always did our job, and we NEVER got him trouble! He's still a close friend!

When he retired, they moved another co-w*rker up the ladder. However he was a power hungry IDIOT!!! And no one could EVER do ANYTHING right....in his eyes...even when we did thing HIS way! MORON!!! Only had him 2 years...his bosses saw that he was the problem and they transferred him out.

The next boss....and THANKFULLY my last.....was/is a twit!!! He has no idea how to manage people...so he doesn't....as plant foreman, I had to do all the managing for him! He's clueless in the operation of the plant.....I ran it for the last 6 years with the assistance of my co-w*rkers!!! He doesn't play well with others, and NONE of the other dept. heads, or their bosses can stand him....at all!!! The only one that thinks that he is "all that" is his immediate boss, who won't fire him because then he'd have to eat crow! It was a political appointment!

Now, being FIRE'd, I'm my own boss....and I'm the GREATEST!!! Best I've ever had!!! I think I'll stick with this gig!!!

 

[Sarah in SC]

I've always had great bosses, starting with my Dad, except for the pycho lady (where I lasted 59 days). My before-this-one boss was so awesome that when they hung the blame on him for sales going downhill and fired him, I quit with him and took him straight to the bar for the rest of the day! We are still close and his wife says that my standing up for him made a big difference in his ability to shrug off the firing.
My current boss is awesome--supportive, super-nice, very interested in making it a nice place to work. He is always working on goals and challenges, like me, so we compete a fair bit! Like today: "so, can you do a push-up yet". I'm close, but not yet!
Sarah

 

[Sam]

Do you click with your boss/Best Boss that you have had?

Exactly what does click mean?

 

[Fireup2020]

I had one unethical boss that I have no respect for to this day. Most have been ok. My favorites are the "big mouthed" ones that back their words with their actions. The majority have been acceptable overall. I take pride in my role as a manager/supervisor in the military - and the fact that past "subordinates" (can't quite call them employees) still keep in touch and ask me personal and work questions makes me smile and appreciate the impact I had on the overall satisfaction with their careers.

In my M-F regular j*b, no one reports to me, and I just turn in quarterly reports to the office manager - almost self employed! As long as my customers (Veterans) are pleased with their service, everyone is happy Beautiful!

 

[maddythebeagle]

Exactly what does click mean?

intransitive verb

2 a : to fit or agree exactly b : to fit together : hit it off <they did not click as friends> c : to function smoothly d : [SIZE=-1]SUCCEED[/SIZE] <a movie that clicks>

Used it here since some people get along better with a specific type while others dont...

 

[Sam]

Oh, that click.

 

[Nords]

When I was at school preparing for my second submarine tour, my assignment officer was trying to find me a Pearl Harbor billet (spouse co-location). I must've been swapped among five or six different boats as he tried for a good fit.

He called me one day to say "This is it, Weapons Officer aboard USS NEW YORK CITY, and this time I really mean it!" I announced it to my classmates and when the cynical laughter died down a couple of the Hawaii guys said "Hey, isn't that Tom Travis' boat? Didn't he just get a new Weps a few months ago? I wonder why they need a new one so soon... ruh-roh."

I asked spouse to check the Pearl Harbor grapevine and she said whenever she mentioned at social gatherings that I was going to NYC the submariners would fall silent and later come over individually to offer their quiet commiserations & sympathy. I was beginning to feel like a prisoner hearing his firing squad being mustered for rehearsal.

I'd never seen such a miserable imitation of a human being. It wasn't that he was insensitive to other's feelings & concerns-- he knew all about them, didn't give a damn, and would use them against you. He wasn't just a "My way or the highway" leader, he was at the top of the "My way or I'll kill you" class. He used to yell at people "Perform or die!!" and throw karate backfists. Several OODs were asked to give him their turnover reports by holding a karate sparring pad and having him kick & punch them up & down the command passageway while they said their words. "Sir, I've been *hunh!* properly relieved as Officer of *oomph!* the Deck by LT *ooof!* Schmuckatelli..." It was the only crew I've ever been in where the troops felt sorry for the officers.

It turned out that my Weps predecessor had begun to stress out, later coughing up blood and volunteering for a psych eval before leaving the crew. When I reported aboard I joined one of the most dysfunctional wardrooms I've ever been associated with, including at least one paranoid psychotic and a second raving egomaniac (besides the CO). My reputation and my ignorance of attack submarines preceeded my arrival, however, so the CO correctly assumed that I knew nothing and had potential. However emotionally disturbed we all were, I was treated pretty well by comparison because the boss thought he'd taught me everything I knew.

Oddly enough he's a heckuva tactician. He's one of those warfighters who you'd follow through the Gates of Hell, knowing that he'd bring you and your crew back alive. After he left NYC he took over training for Prospective Commanding Officers and later ran a squadron. He was the embodiment of ADM King's philosophy "When the going gets tough, they send for the real sons-of-bitches."

So although he was the third-worst boss I'd ever had, I learned a lot from him about leadership (most of it by negative example). Of course I learned even more from my #1 & #2 worst bosses-- which is why today I'm very happy to be living without a boss, totally independent, ruler of my domain, and master of my fate.

Whoops, gotta run. Wife's calling.

 

[Khan]

The boss before the last one was the best; had come up through the ranks as a programmer and understood the systems.

He would go as far up the line as necessary to navigate through the system.

He helped several people take extended time off to take care of dieing relatives.

He arranged leave donation so a coworker could stay on the payroll long enough to take disability.

He gave me (and several other socially inept geeks) overdue promotions.

He retired about a year and a half before I did (62 at the time). Bought a Harley and went on 'the ride home' for HDs 100th anniversary.

 

[Pavo]

I've been pretty forunate to have great bosses in almost every role I had, be it a 'regular job' when back in high school to professional roles. My bosses were usually good friends who mentored me about work and life.

I had one difficult boss. It was during my first 'real job' as a consultant. The guy who hired me was great, but he left to go work for a client. The guy who was promoted to fill that position was very tough to work with. He flexed his muscles and made sure that I and everyone else knew who was the boss. I think power trip whenever I think of him. He wasn't even all that qualified for it, but he was the college room mate of the top sales guy in the office who was the VPs right hand man. It was like a mafia operation that they had in place. All of the power concentrated at the top with an 'old boys' network.

Current boss is great. I run with him on a regular basis, and he's had me over at his place for dinner with his wife. We've done a triathlon together, and he has gone as far as taking pictures of me with his first born who is less than a year old. Great mentor when on the job, as well as for life in general. It definitely makes working 'pleasant' more than anything. He's a great guy.

 

[Bigritchie]

When I was at school preparing for my second submarine tour, my assignment officer was trying to find me a Pearl Harbor billet (spouse co-location). I must've been swapped among five or six different boats as he tried for a good fit.

He called me one day to say "This is it, Weapons Officer aboard USS NEW YORK CITY, and this time I really mean it!" I announced it to my classmates and when the cynical laughter died down a couple of the Hawaii guys said "Hey, isn't that Tom Travis' boat? Didn't he just get a new Weps a few months ago? I wonder why they need a new one so soon... ruh-roh."

I asked spouse to check the Pearl Harbor grapevine and she said whenever she mentioned at social gatherings that I was going to NYC the submariners would fall silent and later come over individually to offer their quiet commiserations & sympathy. I was beginning to feel like a prisoner hearing his firing squad being mustered for rehearsal.

I'd never seen such a miserable imitation of a human being. It wasn't that he was insensitive to other's feelings & concerns-- he knew all about them, didn't give a damn, and would use them against you. He wasn't just a "My way or the highway" leader, he was at the top of the "My way or I'll kill you" class. He used to yell at people "Perform or die!!" and throw karate backfists. Several OODs were asked to give him their turnover reports by holding a karate sparring pad and having him kick & punch them up & down the command passageway while they said their words. "Sir, I've been *hunh!* properly relieved as Officer of *oomph!* the Deck by LT *ooof!* Schmuckatelli..." It was the only crew I've ever been in where the troops felt sorry for the officers.

It turned out that my Weps predecessor had begun to stress out, later coughing up blood and volunteering for a psych eval before leaving the crew. When I reported aboard I joined one of the most dysfunctional wardrooms I've ever been associated with, including at least one paranoid psychotic and a second raving egomaniac (besides the CO). My reputation and my ignorance of attack submarines preceeded my arrival, however, so the CO correctly assumed that I knew nothing and had potential. However emotionally disturbed we all were, I was treated pretty well by comparison because the boss thought he'd taught me everything I knew.

Oddly enough he's a heckuva tactician. He's one of those warfighters who you'd follow through the Gates of Hell, knowing that he'd bring you and your crew back alive. After he left NYC he took over training for Prospective Commanding Officers and later ran a squadron. He was the embodiment of ADM King's philosophy "When the going gets tough, they send for the real sons-of-bitches."

So although he was the third-worst boss I'd ever had, I learned a lot from him about leadership (most of it by negative example). Of course I learned even more from my #1 & #2 worst bosses-- which is why today I'm very happy to be living without a boss, totally independent, ruler of my domain, and master of my fate.

Whoops, gotta run. Wife's calling.

Sounds like a former Marine that went Navy hehe.

 

[Mach]

My only boss of significance was an amazing leader, relentlessly driven and focused, worked 12 hour days or more and expected the same from everyone, and in hindsight was extraordinarily patient, and fairly wise. Faults too I'm sure, but far outweighed by skill and drive. I would say for most of the time I worked for him, I would claim we did not click. I believe I would be less of a person today had we been chummy or overly casual at work. It was the high bar that helped drive me to learn and correct my actions and thoughts, and ultimately helped to get out of the mindset of just going to work, and into pursuing goals instead. And personally, that the main cause of failure in life is oneself, either ones ignorance, denial, or lack of will to think constantly about what's important, rather than simply what comes to mind.

-Mach

 

[Achiever51]

Throughout nearly 40 years of w&*k, I was extremely fortunate to have a series of wonderful LEADERS as bosses, each of whom taught me far more than I ever learned in any classes, seminars or other training. I consider each of these people my mentors.

Unfortunately, my luck ran out with my last boss (I hate to even use the word to describe this person) at MegaCorp.

So, how bad could bad be??

Boss was a closet alcoholic who would sometimes stay in the office overnight, drinking while reviewing staff submissions and other paperwork. During the night, Boss would write notes to the staff that were demanding, demeaning, insulting, mean, rude, threatening -- well, you get the idea. (I kept every single one of them, you'll find out why in a moment.)

In meetings, Boss would sometimes "go off" on one of the staff (usually whoever was sitting closest). These rants were much like the notes, but often were accentuated with a threat of being fired.

Shortly before I decided I'd had enough of this, Boss apparently was involved in a messy affair that resulted in lawsuits by both parties. Although I knew (and still know) nothing about the details of any of this and was clear about this in my supoenaed appearance before a judge -- Boss decided to make my life even worse, even though they ultimately managed to settle the lawsuits quietly and without any damage to Boss' career.

So for the next few months, I was given assignments with deadlines of three or four hours -- typically an assignment that would have taken 36 to 40 hours to complete. One Friday afternoon at about 4:30 I was directed to appear in Boss' office by 5 pm with more than 100 files for review -- I did so and then learned that Boss had left the building to begin vacation and wouldn't be back for a week! Another time I was assigned to fly on short notice to New York for a meeting; got paged when the plane landed at LGA and was told "Boss changed mind; you must be back in the office later today for meeting with Boss." This stuff continued and got worse over time-- as did those infamous notes.

When I finally couldn't take it another moment, I went to the head lawyer for the MegaCorp and said I wanted out. Once I shared copies of some of the documentation, like the notes, it was surprisingly easy to negotiate my way out on my own terms.

Unfortunately, Boss is still in the same job, although most of my former colleagues have either left the department or "quit on the job." I just learned this week that one of my former colleagues has now filed suit against Boss for what sounds like the same treatment I endured. No clue how Boss managed to keep their job this long. Whatever.


Only good thing to come out of this mess? I was able to RE early on my own terms.

 

[chinaco]

I have had some good bosses and some poor bosses.

Although, I will make a distinction.

• Trait - Bosses that are empathetic, concerned, and fair handed with their direct reports.
• Ability - Good Managers/Leaders.

Those two do not always go together. I think we all like managers that seem to care about us as individuals (We tend to trust them implicitly). But I have had some bosses that I really liked that were inept managers. They had things in such a shambles that I was miserable with my job.

At the same time, a boss is working for the company and by definition, their job is usually to get high performance out of their direct reports. This part of the job often creates some level of tension. A little tension is natural and normal... The boss always has the job of asking people (from time to time) to do things they do not want to do.

 

[citrine]

I have had some crazy bosses....totally nuts. One of them when I worked at would take us out drinking after the second shift ended....she would flip out, accuse us of sleeping with her boyfriend (she was married with kids), she told my friend that she would have to try cocaine if she did not want to fired, and numerous other crazy scenarios.
I had another woman a couple of years ago who would try to get me to drink with her. Once I was out sick for a week and she flipped out....told me that I was not performing up to par, took away my projects, and basically made my life a living hell.
My current boss is absolutely amazing...he is the most down to earth guy who puts his family first and understands when things come up in your life. He is supportive of my artistic pursuits and understands when I take off some time to work on my endeavors. I have asked him if I am able to take a sabbatical for a month next year....I am applying for an artist retreat and if I get accepted, I would definitely pursue it.
I guess sometimes you have to get the freaks to appreciate a good one!