Parted ways with the Boss..

A truly great boss is hard to find, difficult to part with and impossible to forget.

The Boss's farewell

I couldn’t agree more. People come, people go. But only some of them that really touch your heart. Along my time in the corporate world, I have lots of good bosses. But among all of those good bosses, only few of them that I really put my utmost respect and admire. Kind of people that I really want to work with again.

Boss that really fun to work with, free to talk with (you really can talk about anything and you don’t have to worry how to talk or what kind of words to used), good to argue with, always protect you, damn smart (very important!), always know what to do. Someone that you can rely on, that you can trust, that you respect, that you really can look up to. They might not perfect but they really good mentor whom you can learn a lot from. Do you have that kind of boss? Well, luckily I had.

The hardest part of having this kind of boss is the farewell, when finally you have to take different path. Either they leave you, or you have to leave them because you got better opportunity outside there. My first great boss leave me because he got a better offer. He moved to the competitor and handled the same product. So, officially we’re fighting each other in the market. Seven months after he leaves, I choose to leave the company also and went to another industry. This is when I have to leave my second great boss. And trust me, none of them (either your boss or you leave first) was felt good. 

The first time when I lost my great boss, I was like buried in the office, literally. I handled more work than before, going home at late night almost every day, bear more responsibility since I have to take over my boss role. Thankfully, my ex boss is really helpful. Even four months after he leaves I still can ask his help to teach me how to make costing analysis because I have to handle all the work that he used to do. He really set a high standard for a great boss in my definition. I am so thankful had the opportunity to work with him in the early years of my journey in the corporate world.

My second great boss is an expat. He was kind of person that really helpful and very patience in listening to all of my complaints, hahahah. Every time I have an issues, I can go to him and he will always be there to help me. If he couldn’t, he will asked me to wait. Then he will try to find the answer for me. He was the reason, I can survive handled everything in my departments – yes, all by myself – for seven months! Because he knows, I’m taking more responsibility than I should, so he tried to help me all the way he can. I can send him messages at the middle of the night -well it’s more like complaining actually- and he will responded just to comfort me. When I finally decided to leave him, I was cried. 

And recently I have to bid farewell again with another great boss. He has to go back to his home country. This expat boss is a demanding person, self-centered man, normally not a kind of person that I would like to work with. But he was kind of person that really pushed you out of your comfort zone. Someone who always raise the bar. Working with him makes me questioning my own limit. I used to walk every day for the last two years, and then suddenly I have to run to match his pace. And it turned out that I can run quite well! I can run with the same pace with him. Something that I never thought I was able to do before. You see, working with a great mentor really can take you far. And for that reason, I respect him. When I thought I just too bored to walk in an environment that is too slow, he was the one who pushed me to run. He was the one who taught me, when you pointed on your finger to someone else, the others finger pointed on yourself. So before complaining and blamed the others party, please asked what you can do first to overcome the problem.

I was very fortunate to be able to work with those great bosses. I hope I can have another chance to work with them again someday. Well, although I hate farewell so much, but I still grateful to be able to cross path with them. But if you look at from the other perspective, I guess it’s needed to make me grow. Perhaps, it just another chance for me to meet another great boss, to learn from another great people.