A great boss helps you move your career forward but they are hard to find
“People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives.” — Theodore Roosevelt
In order to move your career forward, it’s critical to have a great boss that is fully invested in your growth professionally and that believes in you. There are many managers out there that just “manage” but if they are not helping their direct reports get promoted or get an external job opportunity, well that manager isn’t doing their job. For years, I didn’t have a good manager. They only care if I did the work and I had to seek my own internal and external opportunities, which didn’t work out in my favor. For years, I feel really stuck in my career until my last role at RightStar.
I was working at a MarTech company called Cheetah Digital (who is one of the pioneers of email marketing) for the past 4 ½ years and I decided to jump onto a 4-month contract hoping that things will work out for me and boy did it ever! Jenine was one of the best bosses I ever had in my career so far! From the beginning, she taught me the skills and tools that I needed to be successful. I was the face of the team so needless to say, my nerves were pretty high! Jenine was highly invested in me and she knew if I was thriving, the team would succeed too! I was brand-new to the aerospace industry as well and honestly, everything was new to me, which was scary at first. I had support from my boss and she truly believed in my abilities. I remember bombing the first internal team meeting I led but I was a sponge and took the feedback to heart.
Within a month, I quickly figured it out and I ended up making an appearance in the CEO’s newsletter for my good work performance. My boss gave me the keys to lead the team as I managed the team’s projects, led major key meetings, took care of the team’s contractual requirements, and more. She didn’t micromanage me but was always available if I did need her help. Again, this was a 4-month contract and honestly, I thought we had a really great chance at an extension. This was not the case in the end and my boss fought hard to keep me on board. I was fortunate to get another job offer and the main reason was because of the work I was doing with this job. When I told my boss Jenine that I got a job offer, she told me to take it and she reminded me that I would do great things with my career. She really did want to keep me but she knew I would be in better hands and looking back, I definitely made the right decision.
So you want to move your career in a huge way, find a good boss. They are hard to find but once you find them, don’t let them go. You’ll be able to grow your career faster than you’ll ever think was possible. They need to be invested in you and your growth. If not, try to transfer departments or find a new job. Find a boss like Jenine and you’ll never look back!
P.S.
Brian Lee, if you’re reading this. You have been a great boss to me as well. Thank you for hiring me and having confidence in me. I know this role will help move my career forward. J
