Many business owners we’ve spoken with didn’t start with a huge team on day one. They had to learn how to be a good boss, but the problem is the books on leadership are often highly theoretical and so we wanted to hear practical examples of what it means to be a good boss. So, we asked some brilliant, insightful folks to share stories about the best bosses they’ve had.

Theo Minori

The best boss I had was at my first job after college as an accountant. I had been interning with her throughout my college years so I was excited about the position. I learned beau coup about finances and how to keep books yada yada, but what still sticks out to me to this day is what my old boss, named Precious, said to me. Read more>>

Barbara Lee VanHorssen

So just how do you change the world? I believe it begins with a dream. A great big bold idea. A vision of what could be. I have a lot of ideas for changing the world. A lot of thoughts about addressing our challenges. I can tell you with a good degree of certainty what could and should be done. And I am happy to share with anyone who cares to listen. In my mind, every one of my suggestions would lead to more health, more happiness, more wholeness, more humanness. Read more>>

Masashi Yamamoto

Certainly! Throughout my career, I had the privilege of crossing paths with my former supervisor, Jeff White. Jeff is the art director for the stop-motion animation series, “Shape Island,” which airs on Apple TV. I was fortunate enough to work alongside him as a stop-motion fabricator within his dedicated crew. Whenever I encountered a challenge or had inquiries about crafting specific props, Jeff consistently provided invaluable insights and feedback. Read more>>

Jenny Wiglesworth

The best boss that I ever had allowed me to have ownership of my role. It allows for me to grow in confidence, trust others and utilize his same leadership skills when in began my own company. Read more>>

Sandra Murray

I had a boss once, Bob DeVito, who BELIEVED in the power of good design. His packaging firm was highly regarded and Bob was a busy man. Still, he showed up for critiques. He took the time to talk through communication goals. He treated his employees with kindness and encouragement. It was the balance of brilliant design aesthetics with empathy that made him a phenomenal boss. EVERYBODY loved Bob DeVito – designers & clients alike. He was my first and most cherished mentor. From him I learned to be articulate and confident. I learned that while the design process can be messy, design itself should be clean—a mantra that has served me well in my ceramic career as well. Read more>>

Sally Mullins

I had a great boss called Florence Chan when I first moved to LA in the late nineties at a language school, ESL specifically, teaching English to mainly Asian adults in Monterey Park. She hired me and promoted me very fast so I felt she saw I was special and I respected her judgement. There was someone more qualified than I was and it may have been better to go with her in the long run but I felt like beyond the professional Florence just adored me. She gave me some of her old designer clothes and bought me a gorgeous ring. Read more>>

Valaine Shelby

I’ve had a number of great bosses over the years, from the food service manager who taught me the value of prioritizing people over efficiency, to the Producer who encouraged me when a vendor called me a failure and I started to take it to heart. But probably the boss I learned the most from was David. David was the Communications Director out of necessity, not because it was his great career aspiration, but he brought a ton of humility and servant leadership to the role. Read more>>

Davia Dwyer

There is a supervisor who I currently appreciates. This is because of her leadership skills, she often times listen to her staff members to find out what is up. Then she assist accordingly. That leadership makes the staff more comfortable and willing to work with each other. Read more>>

Christopher Butler

The best boss that I have ever had is a woman by the name of Susan. This is by a landslide too. Like there is no top 5. It would just be her name 5 times. I can say with confidence that I was not a fan of corporate America. Who really is though? Who wants to be micromanaged for 13 years? I suppose some people would be fine with it. It’s a job and it’s ok to feel that way. Susan was the first boss I had to not micromanage me. Susan does not look at people as numbers on a spreadsheet. Susan looks at people as people. She is the only boss that I aspired to work for simply because of what I had heard about her and I could only imagine the benefits that I would get from learning from her. Read more>>