The Perfect Boss

For all you bosses out there, this blog post is for you.

I once had the perfect boss. Every morning when my feet hit the floor, I couldn’t wait to get to work. I would have walked over broken glass for this boss.

My boss’s name was Barbara Walters. Yes, that Barbara Walters. Interviewer extraordinaire and newswoman who made it possible for women finally to be taken seriously in the news business.

First, I was assigned to Barbara as an off-air-reporter, then as an editorial producer. Why was Barbara the perfect boss? It wasn’t the great assignments and travel to amazing places. No. It was because every day Barbara allowed me to do what I believed was my best work for her. There was no micromanaging. I wasn’t expected to be a mind reader and become her “mini me.” She expected me to use my own wits and intelligence to do questions and script suggestions for an interview she was doing–and she always gave me credit for my work.

As a boss, it can be scary to give an employee their head and let them step in the spotlight and shine. But I know from personal experience, you will have an employee whose loyalty is priceless.

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