“Tell me about the best boss you ever had.” This is a favorite interview question of mine as well as a conversation starter I use in training classes. Since a lot of my training classes are with construction, trades and manufacturing front line supervisors, I often hear some version of this story:
My best boss was Bob. He cussed me every day. He would throw tools at us if we weren’t doing what he thought we should be doing...
I enjoy hearing their stories because I had a Bob or two in my early life as well. When teaching new supervisors how to be remembered by their team members as the best boss they ever had, I dive more into what made Bob a great boss. If my training is successful, they begin to understand that it wasn't the cursing or tantrums that made Bob a great boss, it was that he cared.
Bob wouldn't be remembered as a great boss if his behavior was associated with selfish motivations - like making his own bonus or getting off of work early. They knew Bob yelled at them because he cared. He cared about the quality of the product or service. He cared about the customer. He cared about meeting deadlines. He would take time to teach them skills. He genuinely wanted them to grow professionally.
Bob's behavior is no longer acceptable in the modern workplace (though it still exists). The modern foreman or supervisor needs to remind him or herself that it wasn't the cursing that made Bob a great boss, it was the caring. The modern supervisor is challenged to hold workers to high standards of performance and coach them in their career development without using Bob's techniques. The answer is learning how to have adult conversations with workers, even when they aren't acting like adults.
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