good crazy vs. bad crazy

It amazes me how much a boss affects your attitude. Or, rather, my attitude.

I hear horror stories from friends. Bosses that make them feel like crap. Bosses that are actually really stupid but think they know everything — and refuse to listen to even well-intended advice. Bosses that do nothing, or do too much. Bosses that make people want to quit their jobs... or do them, just not very well. At all.

I am so happy working for the people I work for. My boss is fantastic. She’s smart, she’s fun, she’s approachable. When she’s stressed, like all of us, she gets testy… but she knows it. She’s a mentor and teacher, encouraging her “underlings” to grow and gain new skills. And she’s unbelievably devoted to quality work, imbuing the same values upon her charges.

Things were a rough for awhile — particularly when my job description got a little schizophrenic — but I love working for her. Some of my favorite memories from the past year and half here are nights where I’m working ridiculously late, but being uber-productive, all for the clients we share or proposals we’re pitching. Tonight, I stayed until 9:30pm, not thinking twice — because I was doing work for our team. And, of course, because she stayed until 11.

The same is true for my other boss, who is above me on the same accounts, but below the first one. She’s open for advice at all times. She kindly corrects errors. She understands we’ve all got a lot on our plates. For her, I’d stay late too. I would — and have — worked weekends to get work done for her.

I guess there's good crazy, like what my life is for these bosses, and bad crazy, like the horror stories I hear. It's just all about who you work for.