Do you currently have a good or bad supervisor/boss?

[kdonnel]

I was listening to a podcast that was not exactly about being a good or bad boss but touched on the subject. It got me thinking about the various supervisors/bosses I have had in my working career.

Looking back at my first jobs as a teenager I don't really have any complaints.

My first professional job out of college was like Office Space. I had three different supervisors, of course only one was officially my supervisor but in practice I got all my assignments from a different person and then got asked for status updates on those tasks by a third person. Yet my annual review was done by the official supervisor who had no idea what I had done the year prior.

Then I had an eight year stretch of more or less no supervisor. I worked with my father in law and as long as all the work got done no one cared when, where, or how.

When my father in law sold the business I ended up in a similar situation to my first professional job. I had two supervisors. One official and the other one who gave me assignments. That lasted for years until both got laid off and I got transferred to a different department.

Up until now my boss/supervisor had been benign. I was given assignments and due dates. As long as I met those due dates I never really talked to my boss other than to get more work.

But for the next 4 or so years I had a crap boss. We mixed like oil and water. Then the entire department got laid off, including my boss.

My next boss was somewhere on the autism spectrum. He was highly technical but had no idea how to communicate. It was a really odd year and a half.

I left that job when they started talking about a return to the office. There was a commute attached to that job I was not looking forward to making again. At the same time I was also a little happy about the idea of a different direct supervisor. I had a stretch of almost 6 years of a not so great supervisor.

I love my direct supervisor at my current job. He does a great job of hands off as long as everything is going well while at the same time giving praise and encouragement for a job well done.

What has your working life been like?

 

[hertamaniac]

I had only a few supervisors in my career.

When I worked at a technology company in engineering, I had an ivy-league boss (PhD) who gave me plenty of room to navigate our projects. It was only during our annual reviews is where he pointed out some areas of concern and did it quite gently. He then got promoted to another position and I was put under another supervisor with similar attributes and education. These bosses were very soft spoken and used choice words to motivate and guide me.

My last boss was really my mentor. The oddity is a few of us had to interview him to see how well we thought we could work together. His educational and career credentials were exceptional, so I don't know what my interview of him would gain. He also was gentle, but used past experiences to guide me and show me my deficiencies even though I would challenge him directly. There was only one occasion after a 2 hour meeting where he slammed his fist on the table and said, "man...you're stubborn!". Years later, we laughed at that exchange. Our company lost it's DoD funding and we parted ways.....well....for a few months.

He became the CSO of a company and contacted me to bring me onboard. The role was not what I was seeking, but he reminded me of having to learn all aspects of the company/operation and to continue to trust him. That acceptance paid huge dividends during my career. It took about 1-1.5 years and then the increased responsibilities came as well as promotions, but now directly under his guidance. That lasted for another year or so and the President of our company wanted me to work for him, directly. Then I got thrusted into unchartered professional territories, with my mentor still guiding me, both on and off the job; we became close friends even though I was roughly the age of his sons/daughters.

He passed away a few years ago, but those learnings of patience, acceptance and teachings follow me today and always will. I was very fortunate to have him as my boss for over a decade.

 

[soccerdad72]

I've had a variety - some good, others not so much.

My current boss and I have a good relationship. She's hands off and trusts me to do my job, but has my back when I need her. That's really all I can ask for at this point.

 

[RUDisney]

I have had great supervisors at my current company except for one. I work in IT and this lady thought the department was named it and couldn't understand why it was spelled with two capital letters. She was a micromanager and clueless about everything in technology. She was going to be let go when a job opened in Operations for which she was far more qualified, so it saved her.

Right now, I have an amazing supervisor, but she was just offered a job in another department, so I'll be losing her in January. I'm very happy for her. The man who should take her place was formerly my boss and he is great, too. I'm hoping that I take on his responsibilities as he takes on hers so that it means a promotion for me. He was promoted a few months ago.

I had a boss several years ago who told me that it angered him that I was smarter than him. Who doesn't want employees who are smarter? It makes our lives easier. However, I was a smarter female and he didn't like a "girl" being smarter than him. I'm so glad that I got away from him and his misogyny.

 

[bettertheangel]

Let's see. I've had some bosses that did some serious damage to my mental health.

My first job out of college had a really passive aggressive boss. I ended up getting promoted off her team to a wonderful boss that I am still friends with to this day. We had a good time on that team.

I transferred to an office out-of-state and my boss there was just okay at the beginning but became really hard on me specifically. I never understood why. I ended up walking out one day and never going back.

My boss after that was very hands off. I hated the job though and lasted less than a year.

My boss after that was really controlling. She would nitpick everything I did. She wanted to be blind copied on every email and expected me to forward replies to her. I ended up getting put on a personal improvement plan because the stress of her expectations made me give up on trying. I ended up quitting.

My boss after that was okay. I don't have anything noteworthy to say about him. I didn't really like the job and it was almost an hour commute each way, so I left before a whole year had passed.

My next job had two bosses. They had conflicting instructions for me and hardly communicated with each other. I ended up getting laid off due to the pandemic.

My last boss treated me like an idiot and I never could shake that impression. I ended up getting fired because my mental health and self-esteem were so bad that I couldn't bring myself to do my work.

My current boss is a wonderful and compassionate person. He is a little micromanagey at times and he thinks he has a solution to everything even though his solutions often aren't applicable. I do like him though. I hope to stay in this job for many years.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Currently in my department, I like my supervisor. I think she is doing a good job and seems great.

My previous department had a very bad setup where we had a supervisor, and then an assistant supervisor that both micromanaged you. The upper supervisor was completely incompetent and had no business being a supervisor. She managed to completely undo all the good the previous supervisor did in a matter of like 2 years. The previous one was the ONLY one in charge, and she was amazing. Honestly, the best boss I have ever had. It only takes one buffoon as a boss to completely run a department into the ground. Before she finally left, she managed to run off probably half of the department (myself included). Which in retrospect, leaving that department was a big move UP for me, better conditions and more pay.

 

[hhisc16]

10 years in public education.
5 different principals in 10 years.
current one is not good. (I have seen good and bad of the 5)

 

[China Expat]

I work in education and have had three incredible principals and two bad ones. The two that I did not respect had the same traits....lack of compassion, power hungry, too busy to answer emails, and never showing any support or appreciation. I announced my unplanned retirement to my last principal in a meeting the day my mother was dying in the hospital a year ago as she was criticizing me based on false claims and couldn;t be bothered to ask how my mother was nor me (I had been living in the hospital with my mom for 14 days and trying to work). I lost it, told her off, and stormed out. I am so glad to have left that school.

 

[slo]

The doctor I work for is wonderful and has become a great friend of mine and my families. Going to work is never an effort for me or something I don't look forward to. I'm very grateful!!

 

[tvguy]

I would say 9 of the 11 bosses I had over my career were good. 1 stinker, 1 slightly less so. But one HUGE difference in my industry over my career is the experience level of bosses. When I started my bosses had all worked their way up, and had 20-30 years experience. At the end of my career, the trend was for bosses to be people with little, or no experience, what I call "professional managers". Many were good people, but they just lacked professional experience.....and more importantly, lacked life experience. When we did a news story on the fact you have to buy a license for your dog every year, I knew we had jumped the shark. The two, under 30 managers on duty had never heard of that. At least in this area, dog licenses have been required for my entire lifetime.

 

[CynBeth]

I would say 9 of the 11 bosses I had over my career were good. 1 stinker, 1 slightly less so. But one HUGE difference in my industry over my career is the experience level of bosses. When I started my bosses had all worked their way up, and had 20-30 years experience. At the end of my career, the trend was for bosses to be people with little, or no experience, what I call "professional managers". Many were good people, but they just lacked professional experience.....and more importantly, lacked life experience. When we did a news story on the fact you have to buy a license for your dog every year, I knew we had jumped the shark. The two, under 30 managers on duty had never heard of that. At least in this area, dog licenses have been required for my entire lifetime.

I know what you mean. When DH and I got our first rescue dog years ago from a shelter I think they are who told us about the county license and we renew it each year but people of different ages I talk to also with pets have not heard of this.

Unfortunately of the few bosses I have had most have been awful.

 

[design_mom]

For my current position, I have an official boss... and someone who assigns my work (a project manager sort... who is technically my equal and we work as a team... her part just seems to come before my part.) Both of them are very nice people and I like my team... but I do feel weird at review time because I feel like my official boss has no idea what I'm doing -- I said something to the project manager about how I felt like SHE should be the one reviewing me (and she said that official boss doesn't ask her about me.) Even more strangely, I am asked to give "360 feedback" to official boss... but not to the project manager.

Overall, I've had mostly good bosses. I've only had a couple who I would term 'not good.' My worst one was just very volatile. He wasn't very good at communicating what he wanted, and you were either a rock star or an imbecile (no inbetween) depending on how well you could read his mind. It was very stressful. He was also someone who needed to talk through his ideas. He would talk for an hour, needed an audience but wouldn't consider any of your input (he didn't want a conversation, he just wanted an audience) but then would eventually end up on his first idea anyway -- often something that I wasn't involved in at all. And his best "thinking time" was right before it was time for me to go home. If he called me into his office in the last hour of the day, I would call my husband and say "you've got to pick up the kids today. I'm going to be late!" My blood pressure still goes up just THINKING about him, and I haven't seen him in at least 15 years.