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.

Patti O’leary

The best “boss” I ever had was my first boss in the film business, a man named Harlan who was the head of the film music division at Paramount Pictures in the early 1990’s. He was kind and and amazingly talented with an impressive resume of his own. He maintained great relationships with everyone in the industry, movie producers and movie stars, rock stars and music management and record companies. I was his Executive Assistant and we worked together for many years; he treated the entire team with respect and always wanted to promote people, encourage people to be their very best. Read more>>

So Hyun Park

When I worked at Bigstar, I was fortunate to have amazing bosses. They always respected my opinions, gave me the time I needed, and instilled in me the belief that I could succeed. Their leadership left a lasting impact on me, and they inspired me to strive to become that kind of person for others. Read more>>

Vincent Howard

“Best” is a relative term that calls for an overly simplified assessment that doesn’t address the complex layers of effective leadership. I find myself fortunate to have served under a number of fantastic leaders who displayed a myriad of strengths that were appropriate to the team we led & to my personal developmental needs at the time. Staff Sergeant Theresa Washington was a great teacher & disciplinarian; General Scott Chambers showed the value of vision; Colonel Hoxie provided the pride of a mission-focused aviator; Colonel Thersa Humphrey was the epitome of sincerity & energy, Colonel Matthew Lewin was a fearless defender, General John Cherrey modeled trust & confidence and my current boss Amy Jensen epitomizes intelligence & faith in ME. Read more>>

Carmen Pizarro

I have been working at Mount Sinai for the past 9 years now and I’ve had many supervisors throughout this time. However, when I transitioned into my current role (OBGYN) i had met Laudy Burgos. In the beginning it was not easy for me as the cases in OBGYN would push me into a place where I would shut down, or times when listening to criticism I would also turn inward and self-isolate. This being due to my own upbringing and trauma and being in the foster care system I was never taught to self-reflect, it was always a fight or flight experience for me. Read more>>

Abby Stanley

The best boss that I have ever had was actually my mom. She wasn’t your typical boss in many ways. Being my mother, she obviously took on a different role, however her influence on me as a leader has been the most profound of any that I have known. This is more to do with her character as a person, but I also saw a different side of her than I did at home. I saw the way she interacted with her employees, solved problems, diffused difficult situations, made business decisions and marketed our brand. This made me look up to her more than I already did, which is saying a lot. Above all, my mother led with compassion, understanding, and grace. Read more>>

Ziggy Bornas

I have worked with Lana Schwartz for many years now. In June we finished our 3rd show “Fun Home”. Lana and I work very well together, and throughout the last 3 years we have created a great workflow from pre – production to show. When I first met her, she was the Assistant Director of a show that I was in and we were talking about lighting, and I told her how much I was interested in it, she then told me about her company: “Nxt Generation Theatrics” (NGT) and offered me the position as the Lighting Designer. This was the first time I was ever given such a big responsibility. And I by no means knew what I was doing, But that moment changed the trajectory of my life forever. The fact that Lana gave me that creative freedom and responsibility made me love lighting even more. Read more>>

Cindy Chu

Back in 2022, I was traveling through Mexico. I got a phone call that I was a finalist for Mentorship Matters, a year-long program that pairs emerging TV writers with a showrunner mentor. I interviewed with showrunner, Angela Kang (The Walking Dead). We came from similar backgrounds and she was so down to earth, and at the end of the call, she told me she wanted to work with me. Through the program, she gave me notes on my original TV pilot from the pitch, outline, drafts, and the final version. She was so supportive, and I eventually landed as a writers production assistant on her Amazon/Sony TV series, SILK: SPIDER SOCIETY. Read more>>

Andrew Hauser

I was lucky enough to come across my mentors path when I was still in college looking for an internship. As a college junior I remember Ken Crenshaw, who was the head athletic trainer for the Arizona Diamondbacks, call me to interview me for a potential internship. At the time, I didn’t realize how uncommon it was for the head athletic trainer for a professional sports team to be calling and interviewing potential interns. Approximately 5 years later I was working with the Diamondbacks and being mentored director by Ken and the staff in Arizona. The environment in and of itself was something like I had never come across since i was playing team sports. It was everyone pushing one another to be better at what we did. Read more>>