By: Ricki Sexton
We’ve all had them. That dreaded “B” word – the boss. We’ve also all had bosses that are memorable for one reason or another 
– either they were a great boss, or they were a poster child for the movie “Horrible Bosses”. I have certainly had my share of both – and one of the most memorable moments of my career was one in which my “Horrible Boss” threw a stapler at me! I will never forget that boss – it may not be because said supervisor was a great leader, but because he was a prime example of how “not” to lead your team.
But what makes you a GREAT leader? A great leader makes your team want to come to work and work hard for you? We are fortunate enough to have our own fearless leaders at Partners that make us all want to work hard for them and make them proud. Our owners have provided us with a place to work that exceeds any expectation of what “work” should be like, with all the fun activities we are blessed enough to be able to participate in, as well as endless resources available to us to constantly improve ourselves, personally and professionally. Forbes magazine compiled a list of the 10 qualities that can make you stand out as a “super achiever” and a person that makes your team want to be all that they can be. (Top 10 Qualities That Make A Great Leader) When reflecting back on this list, I believe that the bosses throughout my career that stand out in my mind as my favorites, exemplified all of these qualities.
- Honesty
- Ability to Delegate
- Communication
- Sense of humor
- Confidence
- Commitment
- Positive Attitude
- Creativity
- Intuition
- Ability to Inspire
One of the greatest gifts I personally believe a leader can give their staff is a sense of humor. 
While we certainly have our share of stressful and busy times within our organization, the fact that we all work hard together and laugh even harder together is what makes us a true team at Partners. Certainly all of these traits are extremely important in a leader, but a sense of humor when things do not go quite according to your daily plan, is so essential to being able to back up and punt when things go awry, as they are prone to do in the world of associations!
