I had few of them. None was totally bad and of course, none was perfect neither. But, in every job I had, I learnt something; and that's the most important.
To start, I will always be grateful to the ones who trusted in me enough to not confusing lack of experience with lack of skills.
I was new in the domain but I really wanted to work and learn and excell in digital marketing. I was good in project management and that was what they needed at that moment. They told me that it does take specific skills and personal qualities to be a good project manager, but be good in digital marketing, it takes experience. And they were ready to coach and teach me. Even today, I always try to look for the potential of the people I meet instead of just focusing on what they aready accomplished. We can all do better.
The other thing I would recall about those bosses, is that you don't need to be paternalistic and wear an iron glove to inspire respect. The balance between being a good boss and being too friendly is a big challenge (and should probably be the subject of a next post) and not always done properly. But being part of the solution instead of just pointing fingers when there's a problem, believing in your team, advising them as you advise your clients are few examples of what I learnt.
I remember, when they first announced that I was hired, I asked them to repeat three times before being able to believe it!
Well, maybe I wouldn't be here without them.