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.

Jodi Silbermann

I’ve been working in the legal field for over 27 years, beginning my career as a Paralegal in 1992. Over the years, I’ve continuously sought to learn and grow, earning my Paralegal certification and later deciding to pursue a Bachelor’s in Business Administration at American Public University. But the turning point in my professional journey came in December 2017, when my boss, mentor, and friend, John G. McGill, Jr., passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack. Read more>>

Sable Staller

Having someone you can look up to and ask questions is essential to trying to find your way in life. I am lucky to have an amazing mentor who was previously my boss. Dr. Karen Cottingham was my first boss. She has her own private practice in Indianapolis, Indiana. She hired me while I had graduated residency and was working on moving to New York City. She taught me so many great life lessons. The main thing I learned from her, was to treat her staff and everyone at her office like family. She has had people working for her for 10+ years. She highlights their birthdays and anniversaries at the office, she takes her staff on vacation every year, and she makes sure they know that she views them more than just an employee but a valued person in her life. Read more>>

Amy Cohn

One of the best bosses I’ve ever had was Vickie Collier DeNicola, my boss at Disney. She was one that didn’t expect you to fit into a specific box, and found your strengths recognizing that everyone was different. She also created psychological safety, so you weren’t afraid of failing – which made you try more risks. This made her team the most successful out of many, and allowed us to win a lot of awards around innovation. She was a personal champion, always talking you up to her bosses and putting you forward for special awards or learning. What she did was allow everyone to be their best self, learn more and really feel you were apart of something bigger. Read more>>

Sean Gallagher

I don’t know if he’s the best boss I’ve ever had but he’s the most memorable, though, ironically, I don’t remember his real name, only what I called him: Johnny Cash. I’ll explain this in a second. I had a brief stint as a reporter for the Hong Kong Standard, a daily business newspaper that was one of the few that printed in English, and was assigned to the Metro desk covering local happenings, primarily focusing on intellectual piracy along with the occasional human interest story. All this was before the economic downturn that ended the first decade of the 2000s so major metropolises like Hong Kong were bursting with chance and opportunity and exploring the city with my reporter’s notebook and camera hunting down a story was an exciting way learn about the place and the people who inhabited its streets. Read more>>