Who is the Best Leader You Ever Worked For?
We all work for good bosses and bad bosses at some point in our careers. Good bosses can be great role models and provide us with a positive example of what effective leadership looks like.
Think about the best boss you ever had in the government... Who was it and what was it about their leadership that you admired and appreciated the most? I'd love to hear your stories about effective public sector leadership.
Think about the best boss you ever had in the government... Who was it and what was it about their leadership that you admired and appreciated the most? I'd love to hear your stories about effective public sector leadership.
Tags: hire, leadership, new, new hire
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ed Albetski on -
In the early '90's I worked in the Telcom branch of what we now call OCIO for Mike Lombard. He would hold 5 minute daily meetings of his senior staff each morning, coffee cups in hand, to find out what fires we were putting out that day. His rules were simple. If someone wasn't there and something needed to be done, do it (he was big on cross-training) (him too). We all make mistakes, that's ok, just let him know so he doesn't have to hear about it from someone else first.
Of all the bosses I've had in 28 years in Federal service, no one else ever fostered that feeling of belonging to a team as well as Mike did. He had that ability I've seen in only a few managers to make you want to do your best, not only for yourself but for the team. He taught me by example how to treat employees and how to manage the work of others. He was great on details like those pins you get for years served. He kept track of all his people. The official midpoint reviews and official ratings conferences, not so much. I remember once having my midpoint and final review in a one minute walk by conversation in a hallway. "Hey Ed, midpoint, you did good. Rating you got this score. That good? Ok, I'll leave the papers in your drawer. Sign them and leave them in my drawer, I have to get them in tomorrow." We all knew where we stood and he knew what we were doing everyday. His team never needed those scheduled "talks".
Mike left Commerce for DHS and did very well. He retired and works as a consultant for DHS now. He's here on GovLoop. Hopefully he won't see this. He'd be embarassed.
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Permalink Reply by Don Jacobson on -
Ed - Thanks for sharing this great example. It sounds like Mike did an outstanding job of leading by example, building great teams and communicating. And if he'd be embarrassed to see your story, that probably means he's humble too (another great leader trait).
Don
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Permalink Reply by Patricia Armstrong on -
That is easy - my current boss, Ms. Jessica DeMarais, is the best leader I have ever worked for. She sets a high standard and expects nothing less from her staff. She is always available to listen and answer questions. Her guidance on tough issues is very helpful in resolving issues quickly. When a staff member has family concerns, she is very accommodating in allowing time off. Another really great quality is her attention to balancing the workload among her staff. She does not hesitate to shift duties or ask other staff members to help a co-worker out during a high workload period. We all have a lot on our plates and she knows it and often says "thank you" when we get things done. Just a simple "thank you" every now and then goes a long way.
Patricia
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Permalink Reply by John Sporing on -
The previous chief of my division--John Kort. While he is a very successful and well know regional economist, you would never know it to meet him. He is a very humble and soft spoken person that puts the mission and his people in front of his needs. This made me want to do even more to make him look good.
He was always there to support my ideas. When I presented stupid ideas (and I know I did), he was very diplomatic and asked questions until I too realized how bad they were. Then we would work on them to turn them into good ideas.
He taught me the importance of building my brand, networking, and continuing my own developmental activities--and did all he could to support them.
Everyone in the division was sad to see him move on to a great opportunity. It was certainly not the boss leaving, but the patriarch of our work family. I still meet him for lunch every couple of weeks and often stop and think "WWJD?" (What would John Do?).
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Permalink Reply by Nancy Heltman on -
My career has been split between the private sector and government. Most of my private sector career I worked for a family business and my father was the leader. Not a very good one either. Don't get me wrong I loved him but he made no secret of the fact that his philosophy was "motivation by agitation." He was kind of a bully. Then I ran my own business for a while with no employees to supervise. Thirteen years ago I came to the public sector and have been fortunate to have the same boss for that tenure. Joe Elton, the Director of Virginia State Parks is a great leader. Our Parks have always been thinly resourced but when Joe took over as Director we were at a real crisis. Joe led "the most frugally state park system in the nation" to the National Gold Medal. This week was our site managers meeting and once again we are facing tough budget times as a result of the state budget crisis. Once again, Joe reminded us all of the wonderful work we do in spite of or perhaps because of these challenges. We all left invigorated and ready to continue being creative so we can excel.
DCR State Parks Director Joe Elton, center, holds the coveted Sports Foundation Inc. gold medal award. He is flanked by National Park Service Director Fran Mainella and Richard Zavala, director of the Fort Worth Parks and Community Services Department, who chaired the judging panel. The award was given at the National Recreation and Park Association's annual convention Oct. 3, 2001, in Denver, Colo.
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Permalink Reply by Ray Blunt on -
In 1977, the first official appointment that the new President Carter had was with Max Cleland, soon to be the new VA Administrator (before it was a Cabinet agancy) and the first Vietnam veteran to head the agency. The VA was awash in complaints of lack of caring and poor quality service on the GI Bill and uncoordinated and badly dated rehab for wounded vets. As a triple amputee and someone who knew firsthand the horrors of not only war but a placid bureaucracy, Max hit the VA like a breath of fresh air where most of the senior leaders were of WW II vintage and perhaps a bit complacent. His passion, his caring, his willingness to drive change all were a tonic to a young, Vietnam era former Air Force officer who was already feeling the tug of bureaucratic inertia on his soul after a mere three years since discharge. He drove change by dint of his caring and taught everyone to care; that we were (in the words of Omar Bradley) dealing with the problems of those who gave up their youth, not our problems; that they were people not pieces of paper to process. And he had a laser focus on what he called "my priorities" and insisted they were reviewed monthly for progress, highlighted and fully funded in the budget, and acted upon by all 250,000 employees. He insisted that every phone call be answered by "This is Ray Blunt, VA, how may I help you?" He also sought to grow the next generation of leaders by launching what was called Leadership VA, a one year program for the next generation, with 60 attendees handpicked by a panel he appointed, not by the incumbents because he was trying to find those who would be change agents of caring who could work across the boundaries. One of his main goals was to raise up a generation of leaders who would know each other and share a common set of values and experiences in both the Headquarters and the field. That legacy of Leadership VA remains as the most coveted program on the leadership journey in VA. He also began to put young Vietnam era people into senior leadership positions and gradually began to transform the thinking and the results for those who served. To this day, I owe my start in public service leadership to his sponsorship and that of my immediate boss and mentor, Red Leffler, also a severely wounded Vietnam vet. Even more, I owe my understanding of the importance of caring for the people we serve in public service and what a marvelous calling it can be when we clear out the barnacles of encrusted ennui and cynicism. People are waiting for courageous and passionate leadership and we all can never underestimate what an impact we can have in a small circle or large. His book, still on my bookshelf, helped me understand what drove him and is a wonderful autobiography where the title aptly describes the man: Strong at the Broken Places.
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Permalink Reply by Anne Steppe on -
So many people express cyncism when it comes to government and leadership, I can attest to having worked for and with some of the best people ever. (Lynn Huggins - you're one of them in case you didn't know) BAck in the mid 80's, there was then-MAJ Stephen Kirin, 1/75th Field Artillery, Warner Barracks, Germany. He always wrote with a cobalt blue felt pen, and I adopted his blue pen philosphy. His communication skills were superb, and I learned so much about the power of the written word. His leadership was undeniable, it was an aura that surrounded him visible to all who came in contact with him. His use of diplomacy was a magnifent ballet of talent, understanding, consideration, compromise, tact. I moved on to USDA and later worked for a man who wanted his legacy to be that of the biggest SOB ever known to the Agency. Though he succeeded, in the process, he saw in me potential no one else was willing to see or acknowledge. He put me on a road I initially didn't think was fair, placing me in jobs formerly held by GS employees many grades ahead of me. I took that opportunity and ran with it, all the way to my last supervisor, who, in turn, exhibited outstanding leadership in allowing me to grow as an employee, provided opportunities for me to step outside the box, and encouraged me to spread my wings and fly. For the first few years in civilian government I wanted to go back to DoD where things made sense; yet, thanks to some really great supervisors, I have the career I always wanted and opportunities abound even still. Every day I try to "pay it forward" to those employees I see with the same potentials, same need for encouragement, that I once had in the hopes I can do for them what others did for me. To each and every one of you, thank you.
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Permalink Reply by Don Jacobson on
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Anne - Thanks for your great post. It sounds like you have done a great job of learning from different kinds of leaders--both the enlightened and the difficult. Stretch assignments like those thrust upon you by the self-proclaimed "biggest SOB ever known to the agency" can be wonderful sources of leadership learning.
Thanks for your efforts to "pay it forward" in terms of cultivating the potential of more junior employees. That is one of the most important roles of senior managers but not enough of them carve out the time to do it.
I hope you'll consider joining the GovLeaders group here on GovLoop.
All the best,
Don
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Permalink Reply by Darlington Mgbeke on -
The best leader I have ever worked for is Colin Powell (4 Star General rtd). Being a Desert Storm veteran, I Iiked the way the war was fought and won. But, the immiediate best leader I ever worked for is Commander Baron, my present boss.
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Permalink Reply by Hobbs on -
The best boss was my first boss. I guess I never appricated her till we parted ways. Many say she was a little off but she was a good boss. She provided you with enough guidance to do the job and then left you to do it. If by chance you didn't get it right she ould continue to go back to do again providing you insight as to what you did wrong. She wanted you to succeed on your own and she eqquipped you with the right tools to do a the job. It was from her, I learned really how to learn the job. Now I am able to learn new things (in less amount of tries :) that is)
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Permalink Reply by Bill Finnerty on -
My current boss, he is not a govLoop member so this is not kissing up, Jerry Wilkes is the best leader that I have worked for. He is a retired Army Colonel and currently Director of Information and Technology. He is prepared for every meeting we enter and he always knows the questions to answer to get the next level deep. Most importantly, he understands how to let people grow and do their best.
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Permalink Reply by Midori Raymore on -
My most captivating boss was Gerard Baker while he served as Superintendent at Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. He was a solid personable human being whose stories are awesome and I love him for his character and warmth. He didn't micro managed which I really appreciated that he valued the strength of his people and didn't stand in their way. I tend to grind my teeth more when working under micro management. Another great boss was my direct supervisor at Lewis and Clark NHT - he was one of the most supportive people I've ever had and was able to give me good advice about how to stay out of trouble and when it came, how to stay on top so I wasn't the one to burn. Those are important skills to understand. My next best boss was Vickie Veeder at the Forest Service - yes she was 200 miles away but she still was a good boss. She's been a great mentor for me about working in the federal government when you switch agencies and has become a great cheer leader. I can ask her for feedback and know I'll have an honest answer. But I would also like to point out that sometimes a 'worst' boss can also be a great example. They teach us what we don't like and give us perspectives about what doesn't work well. I've had a few of those too. I don't like micro managers who are mindless in their micro managing. When some one comes in, micros for a while and then steps back when trust is established, that's a good micro manager. I don't like non-communicators or those who say something to appease and then come out via email or in another fashion with a totally different stand. That smacks of dishonesty. It leads one to feel there are double standards or deliberate miscommunication. It can be a real morale issue. So, I take good and bad leaders both as a way to learn and to grow.
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