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.

Stephen Kinney

I’ll never forgot the boss I had at my last corporate job. The company was a growing young company. It had a lot of innovations in the sector of business that it competed in. Since it was young, I had a lot of opportunity to show what I could bring to the table, in addition to my actual assigned work. In many cases, I went out of my way to try to bring my creative abilities to the table. Read more>>

Caitlin Oakley

There is nothing like someone who believes in you. Self belief can be as abundant and as apparent as it wants to be but I always say we weren’t placed on earth alone for no reason. I had a young woman who made such a big impression in my life by her trust and belief in me even when I wasn’t perfect. Her name is Heidi, Heidi was never a micromanager nor was she one to punish me for humane faults. It’s so important as a hairstylist to have the space to grow and to be around mentors that know how to educate without ego. Read more>>

Rachel Jackson-Poole

Diane Ross is one of the best bosses I’ve ever had. Diane was a “tough teacher” she gave me a chance in a field I knew nothing about. What made her amazing was she trained me every step of the way. She taught me everything she knew. Diane was a true leader. She empowered me at a time when I felt lost in a world that felt broken. She helped me find the pieces inside myself to start building my life. I was only 20 years old when I went to work for Diane. I am the woman I am because she saw something in me at a time I needed to be reminded. Read more>>

Carlos Coleman

I would have to say pretty much everybody at my current job has been super supportive of me chasing my dreams in full but one person in particular that went above and beyond and would even bend company rules for me is my old manager Joe! A short story that kicked everything off with out bond is when I had reached out to the camp of the Grammy award winning artist Nas (Nasir Jones) to see if they needed an extra photographer for the show, knowing that if they booked me I wouldn’t be about to make it I still reached out anyway. Read more>>

Marc Shriver

The best boss I have ever had was a person who mentored me when I began my 16-year-long career with a Fortune 500 company. The position was an entry-level position, and most of my work experience had been in social services, and personnel recruiting. This individual was the best I have ever had because they simply listened, and cared about my career. Whenever something difficult or unexpected happened, instead of reacting negatively or becoming belligerent, this individual simply tried to get to the root of the problem, listened to my experience and actions I had taken, and then worked with me to come up with an action plan. Read more>>

Kayla Rose

The best boss I ever had was myself. As I was able to see my whole self as a business, I have learned to give grace to myself on the days I am still working that are supposed to be days off. I am my best boss because I leader without having someone ask me to. Every single day I am my own boss and I take pride and initiative in knowing that someone has to do the work, and still I chose for that person to be me. This has made me a necessary accent to my environments and communities, and has led me to leave impact on those I may never physically cross paths with. Read more>>

Kim Xrossing

I’ve been working since I was 16 years old – in all sorts of industries. Needless to say, I’ve had a variety of bosses. Some were wonderful humans and others were just completely insane. The one person who shaped me as an individual and a business woman is Ronnie Davis from Great Performances. He is the true example of amazing boss, mentor and leader. To many before me, he may have been rough around the edges and very direct with his wants and needs, but I believe that only pushed me to be better and stronger. Read more>>

Karan Mittal

My Current boss Chef Sujan Sarkar is the best Boss I’ve ever worked for. He is a true symbol of excellence and perfection. The way he passes on his wisdom of knowledge and wealth of experience to encourage the growth of young professionals is incredible. There’s a lot to learn from him, especially the way he handles stressful situations and how he motivates the team. Read more>>

MaryBeth Hyland

Yes! Hands down, my best boss (who hated being called a boss) was in graduate school where I worked under Associate Dean John Green. John was someone who was new to overseeing interns like myself and he was incredibly thoughtful, loving, and direct about how to best go about the way we worked together and with our partners. At the time, I was running special events for the school which meant a lot of people needed to be involved. From security to communications, to facilities to volunteers, and more. Read more>>

Kedrick King

Yes! I am a firm believer that the right Boss/Mentor can completely change your life, if you listen. Although I’ve worked very hard to get where I am now, I can 1000% say I would not be here if it were not for my broker, David Pridgen. I’m sure there a several amazing Brokers in Maryland, but I feel that David Pridgen is the best. He truly wants to see his agents win, and does everything in his power to help us do so. Read more>>

Veeta Dinkins

The best boss I ever had was my drill sergeant in basic training, Drill Sergeant Carolyn Donaldson. She was extremely hard on me first the first time I stepped off the bus for boot camp. Throughout my 6 weeks, she never let up on me and always put me in leadership positions. This CONSISTENT push molded me into the person I am today, a leader. We kept in contact for years after. I did ask her, “Why were you so hard on me?” She said, “I seen potential & the leader in you that you didn’t see.” That stuck with me and still does to this day. Read more>>