Who says you can't love your boss?

Disclaimer: Let me tell you in so many words that I am quite sure that none of my bosses read my blog. And sending links of a post like the one I am going to write today doesn't quite happen in our world ;) For the record, I am not sucking up. If I could, I wouldn't have reached the stage of having to write/ learn the things that I am.

3 years, 2 full time jobs, and 2 woman bosses. As different as chalk and cheese - both the jobs and the bosses. And yet there has been sooooo much to learn from both!

So my ex-boss was a hardcore perfectionist and a typical "agency boss". She would scream bloody murder and get what she wanted. At the same time she gave people the liberty to scream bloody murder, be politically incorrect, and be their own person as long as what they did was "right". She accepted that that are multiple ways to do the right thing, and as long as the end result was good, you can say what you want and fight as much as you need to. Work became an addiction back then, it was essential to my being. Writing, reading, social life - all took a back seat. I constantly added value to what I did. I learnt not to tolerate inefficiency, inconsistency, and most importantly I learnt how to do the right thing, come hell or high water.

And then I moved. To a new city and a new company. My new boss - yes, again a woman. A mother, a wife, a friend, AND a boss... You know what I mean? :) I have never seen angry, frustrated, or any of those negative things one falls victim to at the workplace. I have had two long, controversial discussions with her in the last 4 months, and in both discussions, she had me at hello. LOL! From her you learn that only so much can go wrong in the 8 hours you spend in office to fret over it after you step out. There's only so much you can even do anything about. It's amazing how she, also from the agency culture that I once belonged to, has adapted. She knows there many ways to do the right thing. But that said, it's amazing how I've been learning from her that there's only ONE way to SAY the right thing. The right way. And I am not exaggerating when I say this - there's an aura of eternal happiness and contentment about her that she passes on to you when you talk to her. She's a very positive person. Not in the cliched "be positive, it'll be alright way". It's more like "take it head on, but don't let it get to you" sort of way. She teaches you the perfect work-life balance. If I can adapt to that idea even by 50%, I will be a much happier person!

Didn't I just say that I have loved all (both is more like it) my bosses? Then what is it that I have been cribbing about so much in the last few days? Stupid me :)