We often hear about bad bosses, but we think it’s important to talk about the good ones because we hope that by giving folks examples of how to be a good boss we can inspire future bosses to be better, to do better for their employees and all stakeholders.

Dan Shaughnessy IV

The. best boss I ever had would have to be my old friend, Mike Helbing. I met Mike back in 2012, and at the time he had been in the sculpture world for over 30 years. Not only did he create his own large scale work but he was also the right hand to one of the best sculptors of all time, Richard Hunt. From the outside, Mike was quite intimidating. A Vietnam Veteran, who cursed like a sailor, and honestly scared anyone new he met. He was an atypical artist in the sense he approached everything differently in the studio. Most artists, I have found, follow a set of rules and use they’re tools as suggested. Mike was completely opposite, he had this uncanny ability to push the boundaries of his tools and equipment, opening new doors and possibilities. A common phrase from Mike was, “Ya gotta play Dan! You’re never gonna figure out what you like if you don’t play!”. This approach has been etched into my style, and how I view my work. Read more>>

Ashley Shears

Years ago when I was first starting out in the massage field, I worked at a small women’s boutique in Louisville, KY, called Sister Dragonfly. Locals know of this amazing, eclectic store that drew you in with its warm colors, local artwork, hilarious greeting cards, women’s style, & infamous hound dogs. But the best part of this store was its owner, Jane (my boss & friend). You see, Jane was (& still is) an exceptional human. She sees all of your gifts, strengths, & weaknesses, & nurtures them to help you grow into your best self. If I didn’t know how to do something or flubbed on a transaction, she took a compassionate approach to help me learn & grow through those moments. Read more>>

Ben Alexa

The best boss I have ever had is easily, the one and only, Andrew Cherry. Looking back, I am so blessed to cross paths with him when I did. I had just gotten hired on to my first sales job at Sprint, and it was off to a bit of a rocky start. The hiring manager and I were not really able to connect on a communication level well enough for me to feel like I was going to be successful in my role. The ASM at the time, was great and we worked well together, but he was stretched thin helping all of my teammates as well. Read more>>

Elizabeth Colunga

My first in-house video production job was on a marketing team. My boss, Sarah gave me the most creative freedom I’ve had of any superior. She let me come up with ideas for videos, run with them, and allowed me to edit it properly to tell a story. She gave me an amazing gift of creative freedom. Her trust gave me confidence and really let me flex my creativity muscle. Read more>>

Elley Ringo

I haven’t just had one great boss I’ve had the privilege of having two. The first one was Wynnis. She actually found me while I was working at a Dairy Queen. She basically told me that I was too good to be working there and needed to come work for her as a manager in training to her banquet hall. She also gave me the occasional odd job because at the time that I met her I had just gotten really sick and my medical bills were insane. So she let me come do things like clean her antiques in her house, do yardwork, and other things to help out. When I left that job, she cried and so did I. Read more>>

Allie Commons

I have indeed had a number of bosses that were exemplary. What I can reflect back on and see is the reason I remember them so fondly is they led by example- always treating people with love and kindness while using the business as a model of fairness and hard work. Read more>>

Prisma Garcia

I am a daughter of immigrants. I was born and raised in the Pleasant Grove community in Dallas. I have worked with a variety of nonprofits serving communities in Dallas. Most recently, I cofounded an organization called Community Does It. I have a passion for serving others. I am innovative and aspire to develop leaders. Read more>>

Ricky Terrell

The best boss I’ve ever encountered was in the military and he was my Staff Sergeant during the first year of me being in the Army. He was so compassionate with us and always gave amazing advice going above and beyond to help us. A few months into me getting adjusted to my duty station I wanted to go to school but I needed a laptop and at the time couldn’t afford one so I got discouraged. I came to work thinking no one would be able to tell that something was bothering me and he immediately noticed and called me into his office. We sat and talked and he offered me so much useful advice on how to maneuver with a few issues I had at the time including me having to push back school until I could buy a laptop. Read more>>

Ashley Duke

While working as a mental health case worker at Talbert House, I had an amazing manager name, Megan Connolly. I admired her compassion for the population we served and how she genuinely cared for each of her team members like her own family. I remember several supervision meetings with Megan, I would talk about my personal life dilemmas; ranging from the applying to graduate school to which dentist should I see, she was always supportive and attentive to my concerns. Megan was the epitome of empathy and she taught me excellent standard of clinical documentation. The influence she had on my life is very apparent as I evolved the experiences and skills into managing my own clinical practice supervising therapists with empathy and clinical excellence. Read more>>

Ashley Rabanal

The best boss I’ve ever had the privilege of working with is one of my current bosses. Michael is the chair of a university art department, and he has helped me grow both as an educator and as an artist. One of the things I enjoy about being an art professor is learning and teaching processes that I wanted to learn when I was an undergraduate student but did not get the chance to. Screen printing is a great example of this. My experience with printmaking as an undergraduate student was limited and did not include screen printing, but I still very much wanted to learn about process at some point. When I was asked to teach an intro printmaking class, I knew I wanted to incorporate screen printing. Read more>>

Emmanuel Dugard

In my journey, I’ve had the privilege of being guided by an exemplary leader, Frantz. Our connection was instantaneous, largely due to our shared Haitian heritage, which deeply influences our values and perspectives. What sets Frantz apart isn’t just his title as my ‘boss’, but the brotherly bond we’ve cultivated over the past three years. He took a leap of faith on me, allowing me to unveil my potential and entrusting me with significant responsibilities. Read more>>

Chadwick Bishop

Mr Lyndberg Sweatmon – My manger at K- Mart when I was in high school Read more>>

Rhena Bundick

The best boss I ver had was actress, dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, director, producer, Debbie Allen. First let me say this woman is tough but for all of the right reasons. She knows how to bring the best out of you! She’s tough because she see’s your potential. Her job is to bring that out of you. If she’s not seeing that, She will push you until she does. Although at times I was very intimidated, I leaned into what she was pouring into me and I am a better dancer and artist because of her. Read more>>