Personal growth October 12, 2015 By
In honor of National Boss’s Day, here are some interesting history about this celebration.
Patricia Bays Haroski registered National Boss’s Day with the US Chamber of Commerce in 1958, while she was working as a secretary for State Farm Insurance Company in Deerfield, Illinois. She chose her father’s birthday, October 16, because she was working for him at the time.
Her reasoning for designating a special day for bosses was to show the appreciation she thought they deserved and to improve intra-office relationships between managers and their employees. Haroski believed young employees sometimes did not understand the hard work and dedication their supervisors put into their work or the challenges they sometimes faced. Four years later, in 1963, Illinois Governor Otto Kerner backed Haroski’s registration and officially proclaimed the day.
We asked a number of First United bankers what they admire in their bosses.
- Good listener
- Shares information with the team
- Looks for skills in employees to steer them to their best fit
- Instills the desire to work to best of one’s ability
- Calm—no matter what’s going on
- Shares point of view
- Creates a sense of team among the group
- Compassionate
- Faith-oriented
- Trusts their people
- A good communicator—effectively conveys information and listens for feedback
- Servant leader—rolls up sleeves and works alongside team
- Takes active interest and care in growth of employees
- Has meaningful one-on-one sessions
- Respectful of employees
- Authentic—is real with people, encouraging employees to be authentic so when conflict arises, it can be resolved quickly
- Motivating, inspiring, and reassuring
- Expresses sincere appreciation for hard work and effort
- Always has my back—I never worry that I’ll “be thrown under the bus” if I make a mistake
- Provides feedback to help me grow and develop
- Reflects the values of our company by putting faith first, family second, and the job third
If you have a boss, I encourage you to take the time to tell them what it is that you appreciate most from their leadership. Use this opportunity to give them the support they give you day in and out. And if you are the boss, remember that great bosses are made, not born, so commit to a lifetime of not only developing your staff, but also yourself!
