Museum of Me

After a brief hiatus, the Museum of Me is back open this month with a new exhibit. This one focus on the best (and worst) boss I ever had. Honestly, the timing on this one couldn’t be better since today is National Boss’s Day.

Let’s get that worst bit out of the way first . . .

While I have had some bosses who have been . . . not great . . . I can’t really think of a truly bad boss. I’m sure that’s partly because I’ve been the boss for many, many years but I do also have many bosses. As a Library Director, I answer to an elected Board of Library Trustees and also a Town Administrator and, by extension, an elected Select Board. Some of those individuals over the years have been . . . challenging . . . to work with, but I’ve always managed to meet expectations and get along with them just fine. And eventually those difficult ones have moved along. I’ll tell you more after I’m retired!

The best boss part of the exhibit is so easy. It was Diane, the 2nd Library Director I worked for as a full time librarian, and the 4th Library Director I worked for in general. She was my boss, naturally, but also so much more. She taught me so much about being a Library Director, managing employees, maintaining a building, and working with a Board. She encouraged me to finish getting my Master’s degree when I felt like it was dragging on forever. And she was my friend. We spent many nights together watching classic movies and she considered it her personal responsibility to make sure I saw all the ones I had missed. She was also my fellow band groupie, always going with me to see Dale’s band way before Dale and I were a thing. When I had Hannah she bought me the best pram/stroller in the world and, while she didn’t have children of her own, she was a terrific auntie to my girl. I was heartbroken when she left our library to move on to a bigger and better job for herself, even though it meant I would get to become Director myself.

Diane lives in Florida now and I don’t see her nearly enough but we do get together occasionally and when we do it’s like we’ve never been apart.

Everyone should have a boss and friend like Diane, I’m so grateful that she’s been in my life for 35 years.

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This Post Has 9 Comments

  1. That’s an ideal situation – working with some challenging people and having a wonderful boss who was also a friend. This may say more about your attitude that you didn’t really have a bad boss!

  3. One thing I learned while working through college is that managing can be done from both ends of the boss-employee relationship. Sounds like you did too. And unless there are actual performance issues, it’s really about managing relationships with people. Looks like you figured that out pretty early.

  5. Carole, Your boss and friend Diane sounds terrific. Everyone should have that experience when they first start out. Just like a great teacher to a child. It creates confidence in themself and will form a nice base for their future. I too had a great boss at my first job at a bank. In fact, he was such a nice guy I married him 50 years ago, Dec 1, 1973.?

  6. Carole, Your boss and friend Diane sounds terrific. Everyone should have that experience when they first start out. Just like a great teacher to a child. It creates confidence in themself and will form a nice base for their future. I too had a great boss at my first job at a bank. In fact, he was such a nice guy I married him 50 years ago, Dec 1, 1973.?

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