Reflections Of

Today is June 6, and this is the birthday of three awesome women that I had the priviledge of calling my boss.  Yep, three of the people that I have worked for during my adult years share the same birthday. 

I thought about each of those three women today and what they each taught me.  From watching them, I learned more about what to do and what not to as a boss than I could have ever been taught in any classroom.  Two of them were micro-managers, and I knew immediately that if I ever had the chance to be in their positions, I would never micro-manage.  You can ask the three guys that I work with today and each will honestly tell you that I am not a micro-manager, thank goodness. 

The main thing I learned from all three of these women was to let people do their jobs.  Once they know what they are supposed to do, leave them alone and let them do their jobs; only step in if they aren't doing what they are supposed to do. 

Another thing I learned was the value of feeling appreciated.  Having your boss tell you that you did a good job goes a long way.  And once again, the guys that work with me will tell you that I do in deed praise them (often times in public) when they are doing an outstanding job.  On the flip side, the first of these three bosses taught me that you never discipline or go off one someone in public.  I admired her for that, and that is another thing that I do as a boss.

One of the biggest lessons I learned from the second of these three bosses was to never give up and to keep on keeping on.  I watched her work hard at her job while being a mother and a wife, and let me tell you she was good at juggling, and she still is today. 

Each of these three women were very different, but in ways they were alike, being strong-willed.  I am thankful for having had the chance to work for them, and I thank each of them for the lessons they taught me.