July 23, 2020
by Kimberly Sully.
Simon Sinek wrote “A boss has the title, a leader has the people.” In my nearly 25 years as an IT professional, I have worked for both and have most likely been both to people who have worked with me. But there is, in my opinion, a radical difference between the two.
I was extremely fortunate to begin my career working for Lynn Schwartzenburg at United Healthcare. She was my boss, but more than that, she was a phenomenal leader. While I was hired as her administrative assistant, her belief in me and her desire to help me grow was apparent immediately. She challenged me to learn new skills, she advocated on my behalf for promotions she felt I deserved even though I hadn’t worked there very long, and she always treated me as her equal. As a result, I wanted nothing more than to do my very best for her. I was fully committed to her, and because of her, fully committed to the organization.
After working for Lynn, I moved across the country and was fortunate once again to work for a boss who was also an outstanding leader. Ron Johnson was somehow more enthusiastic about my potential than even I was. He promoted me into a role as a technical trainer for which I had no prior experience, simply because he believed in me. And I once heard him tell a colleague that when he hired me, he knew that I would have an impact and that ultimately, I had “single-handedly raised the bar” for the entire organization.
Imagine the feeling that gave me as a 25-year old only a few years out of college. I was thrilled to go to work each day and felt such pride in the work I was doing. It was the second stop in my career and I was going places. The support and guidance from these two leaders in my life had really set me up for great things.
Then it happened. Another relocation meant another new job. This time, I had a boss. Just a boss. He was demanding, lacked empathy, barely communicated, and showed little interest in exploring my potential. I dreaded going to work each day and can honestly say I basically phoned it in. Having been an over-achiever my entire life, it wasn’t a good feeling. But I simply wasn’t engaged and felt no sense of camaraderie or shared goals. If my boss didn’t care about me, why should I care about my job?
We’ve all heard the saying that people don’t leave jobs, they leave bosses. I can confirm this to be true. Within weeks I was looking for another job and moved on so quickly that I’ve never even referenced that “speedbump” on my resume or LinkedIn profile! Fortunately I have had the pleasure of working for many outstanding leaders since then.
One perspective I hadn’t experienced at the time was working with someone who wasn’t my boss, but who would ultimately and unequivocally become a leader to me. Little did I know that this type of leader would actually have the greatest impact. That changed when I had the great privilege of working on an innovation team at Davis Wright Tremaine under the leadership of Jay Hull. As Chief Innovation Partner, Jay led a group of cross-functional staff who were interested in helping the firm work through challenges in new and innovative ways.
Like myself, most people on the team had other full-time jobs within the firm so it could be challenging to fit in this “extracurricular activity.” And, no one reported to Jay. But working on that team was so inspiring and exciting and FUN, I jumped at every chance to partner on a project no matter how big or small my role was. One of the projects I’ll never forget is one where I ended up working until around 1:30am on a Tuesday (it’s worth noting that every time Jay tells this story, that time gets later and later…eventually I’m convinced the legend will be that I worked 48 hours straight). I was a Director at the time and it was a word processing task…but I didn’t care. It needed to get done and I was all in.
I was all in because of Jay. Jay wasn’t my boss but as one friend once said, I would push a rock up a hill for that guy. The genuine interest and care he has for everyone he works with, the authenticity he brings to every encounter, and his creative spirit is nothing short of transformational. His leadership helped our firm to win Innovative Law Firm of the Year at ILTACON two years in a row.
In hindsight, each and every one of the bosses and leaders I have worked with have provided me with invaluable information. Not long after working for that “just a boss” guy, I decided to work towards a leadership role myself and that gave me a much more rounded perspective. I could draw from the wonderful qualities I had seen and felt while working for Lynn and Ron, and likewise could steer clear of the behaviors I had seen and felt while working for that other guy.
It has been more than 15 years since I moved into my first leadership role and I have had the opportunity to work with dozens and dozens of professionals. How many have considered me their boss? How many have looked at me as a leader? I can’t answer that. But I can say that I have always aspired to not just be a boss, but to be a leader. To help people grow like Lynn. To show enthusiasm like Ron. And most of all, to be genuine, caring and creative like Jay.