Submitted by keith on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 18:13.
In 2005, I was given the opportunity to change locations within the same organization and learn some new things. I had worked for some very good and very bad leaders in my lifetime, and I was not going to settle for any job unless it: 1) taught me something and 2) I could work for a good boss. With these two goals in mind I began my search.
The Search
Luckily I was friends with people who had been to the location I was looking to move into, and a good friend of mine with whom I worked lived across the street from me. I went over to him one weekend after finding out about the possibility of moving and asked him if he recommended any positions or leaders with whom I should work. I could see that he was very happy to answer my question, as a big smile came across his face!
“Go talk to my old boss Mr. Boots,” he said. “He will challenge you and teach you well, plus he is the best boss I ever had!”
I thanked my friend and asked him just to send me his email and phone number so I could get in contact. My friend did one better and actually introduced me by email to Mr. Boots, and I was hired for the position very quickly based on his recommendation.
The Position
I went to the new job with high expectations of my new boss and ready to perform at my best. Mr. Boots ensured that I was assigned a person to meet me at the airport and settle me into my new apartment on the first day I arrived. He also told me to meet him for dinner that night with some of the other managers for a welcome dinner. Mr. Boots was a character! He joked all night and made me feel like one of the team from the first day.
As the week went on, he introduced me to my team and made sure that I had a clear understanding of what he wanted and expected from me as we worked together. He even assigned me to a peer with more time on-site who I could ask for guidance in case I had any procedural questions. Mr. Boots made sure that I understood that if I had any questions I should be sure to ask him or my “mentor”. He made a point to make me feel welcome and tell me that he was happy that I was there.
Over the next year, Mr. Boots repeatedly impressed me with his clear thinking and decision making. He had fun at work, but he was dead serious when it came to performance. He did not fool around if he thought someone was not performing to their potential. I watched him yell at a few people when they made mistakes, and I have to admit, he gave me a piece of his mind on a couple of occasions as well. I learned the most from those encounters though. The job was very demanding and I truly developed as a professional that year. Mr. Boots allowed his leaders to do their jobs and manage their teams their own way. He explained his desired results and didn’t get in our way very often to tell us how to achieve those results. That was what I admired the most about Mr. Boots and his leadership style - he was results oriented AND he allowed for his leaders to get the job done their way as long as the job was done right. Many people think that "getting results" and "letting leaders lead" are contradictory, but they are not!
The Result
It is no surprise that we worked very well together and he gave me increased responsibility within two months with a bigger team and higher, more crucial work demands. My team and I performed very well for him for a whole year, and we made him (and his boss) look really good. There was no problem asking him to recommend me to an ever higher position, and he (and his boss) fought for me to get it.
I realized then that I was the happiest I had ever been in my career that year. I am happy to report that I moved into an equally terrific position at my next assignment, but I will never forget Mr. Boots and his, dare I say, perfect leadership example!
My Lesson Learned
I believe that it was important to me to have a good, challenging job that I could learn, but it will always be more important to me to work for good leaders in all future jobs. After my experience with Mr. Boots, I learned that no amount of money or any type of challenging job is worth working for someone who is not a good leader. The answer to my own question – for me, at least – is that there is nothing more important than working for a good leader!
Reprint of Amazing Leadership Newsletter February 2010. All Rights Reserved.
