Business Research Lab

Boss Stories
Good Bosses

The Mentor

Years ago I worked as an apprentice in a factory. I made many moves between departments in order to learn the business. I must have had 20 different supervisors while I was in the program. The one that stands out in my mind was George.

George went out of his way to make sure I had the opportunity to gain new skills. He paired me with the best workers in the department so I could learn from them. Occasionally, he would take me aside and give me bits of wisdom. One time I took a shortcut and didn't do as good a job as I should have. He pointed this out in a nice way, and told me something that has stayed with me in my work practices ever since - "a job worth doing is worth doing well." I've applied this principle, and I believe it has helped me to advance my career.

Do you have a good boss? Have you ever had one? Would you like to earn $10? If you'd like to tell the world about your experience, e-mail us at thelab@busreslab.com. If we like the story, we'll print it here on these pages. If we print it, we'll pay you ten dollars. Please include your name and address for the purposes of mailing a check if we use your story . . . rest assured that we won't include either in the web site.