The Best Boss I Ever Had: A Tale of Harshness and Guidance

Funny how often I ask this very question during job interviews. My best boss was someone who cared about me as an individual, gave me a lot of freedom, and made me believe I could achieve anything. He also believed in my abilities and always supported me, even during the most challenging times.

A Cliché Moment

It's a painful but necessary realization for every young adult when they become a cliché. I still remember the moment vividly—it was in the ICU supply closet, crouching behind steel racks of urinals and generic soap, with tears streaming down my face. A voice boomed from the sixth floor: "ATTEMPTED MURDER!"

Flashbacks flooded me as I relived the accusations for neglecting to check a lab value over the weekend. The trauma call lingo we used to describe particularly gruesome schedules—Friday 4 a.m. to Saturday 2 p.m., back to the hospital Sunday 4 a.m. again—left something bound to get past me. The patient was fine, but not by any fault of my own. Dr. H, the chair of the department of surgery and a legendary trauma surgeon, had let me know in no uncertain terms that imperfection would not be tolerated.

Harsh but Fair

“YOU’RE FIRED.”
You’re fired.

To be fair, I got fired at least once a week. In the ICU, in front of patients' families, and in the Thursday morning Morbidity and Mortality conferences. Even on a random Wednesday, while standing at attention in his office for the third straight hour, he would bark: “Dammit Kaiser!”

Dr. H fired me for not returning a page despite being on vacation. His six-foot-five frame would overlook charts and dictate late into the night when everyone else had gone home. “Goddammit Kaiser,” he would repeat, “when I page you, you answer. I don’t care if it was 2 a.m. or if you’re on vacation in Timbuktu; you have thirty seconds to answer. THIRTY SECONDS!”

I would stare straight ahead and clench my butt cheeks. “Yessir!” I would nearly salute.

Behind the Harshness

While Dr. H was a harsh boss, he wasn’t a villain. He put in the same hours as everyone else, and it highlighted the level of responsibility we had. We went to a conference, and he even bought me an ice cream in the airport on the way back. However, my favorite story revolves around his “guess-what-I’m-thinking” questions.

Once during Grand Rounds, he singled me out in the crowd and asked, “What kills people in war?” I blurted out, “Bullets,” which he then said worked just as well as hemorrhage. Whew, I wasn't fired.

A Test of Leadership

Dr. H had a way of challenging us and pushing us to our limits, but he was also a mentor who cared about our growth and development. His ability to create a space where we could learn and grow, despite the challenges, is what made him an exceptional boss.

Would he have been more of a villain if he only fired and scolded? Perhaps. But he was more of an anti-hero who imparted invaluable lessons and guidance. And for that, he will always be one of the best bosses I ever had.