During my D2L exit interview yesterday I mentioned that I had 14 bosses in 13 years (although two of them were boomerangs, so 12 different people), and that three of them stood out above the rest. To give you a sense of the timeline of my bosses, there were 13 of them in the first 8-9 years, before #14 rode the wave with me for the last 5 years until I retired this week. The three bosses that stood out over my 13-year stint at D2L are Bre Blyth (12th & 14th), Ivy lee (11th), and John McLeod (1st). A few of the others might have been good bosses but they didn’t stick around long enough for me to find out.
I was asked by the interviewer what made those three bosses stand out. Although I found it difficult to articulate nicely, it pretty much comes down to supporting you in your work, valuing your input, and just being a decent person.
If memory serves (and it might not), I was comfortable referring to each of these three people as “Boss.” How’s it going boss? Thank you boss. Etc.
What My Best Bosses Had in Common
A good boss provides support so you can do your job at a high level. This probably seems obvious, but it must not be so obvious to some of the bosses out there. Support comes in many forms; from financial support (budget) when needed, emotional support if desired, and a collaborative team environment where colleagues support each other to get the work done (but that usually starts at the top, unless it doesn’t).
Other things that I value in a leader include a) encouraging and modeling open communication and trust, b) creating a positive and inclusive work environment, c) leading by example, and d) being consistent.
Is My Voice Valued?
The last thing that was super important to me at D2L was that the best three bosses valued my opinion when I offered it. Sometimes they’d ask for it, sometimes they didn’t, but most of the time they would listen. After working inside higher education for 27 years, I still believe that I can bring some useful knowledge to a company like D2L that works with education organizations. Those that listened to my opinion, and were willing to act on the advice or information provided, showed me the respect and support that made me feel valued when working with them.
Can a Real Jerk Be a Good Boss?
I don’t know. I never had a jerk boss that was also a good boss. Although never say never, I suppose it could happen. As it turns out, my three most outstanding bosses were all totally awesome people, both at work and away from work. Three friends, forever.
One More “Boss”
Before I go, I should mention one more who’s on my list of 14 bosses. Cheryl Ainoa was my boss for a short time while she was the COO at D2L. This happened once and maybe even twice when the CMO position was vacated and she had to fill in with their direct reports, which at the time included me. Cheryl really didn’t “boss me” at all, so I really don’t have a frame of reference for how she would have interacted with me in the boss/subordinate relationship. However, I do have a few things to say about her.
I remember when Cheryl first joined D2L and how she went on a significant listening tour to get to know us and our operations and processes. After getting the lay of the land, she decided that D2L had lost its focus. We had all kinds of little extra products and projects going on and we weren’t paying enough attention to our core business which is the LMS that all the organizations use. Of course one reason that I liked her perspective on this was because it matched my own. While she was COO, I believe that D2L made the most significant strides in their product line and services of any similar time period in the company’s 25 years. And yes, lots of D2Lers played a role in that progress, but Cheryl was instrumental. Other opinions may vary, but that’s mine and I’m sticking to it.
I’ll finish with this little loop from the Fusion mainstage when Cheryl was introduced right after I left the stage.
Now that’s a good boss (kinda!? LOL).
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