By now, friends and family are tired of hearing about hearing how great my boss is, so I am glad to have found this outlet for more bragging about my wonderful employer. He's almost too good to be believed. But I'll let you be the judge:

Let me first explain that I work as an assistant to an architect. He is the sole practitioner of a very successful if small four-person office, consisting of him, me, a drafter, and a part-time college student. People in the industry (construction, government) familiar with our production are amazed when they find out John is the only architect in the office. Through his own tireless work, fastidiousness and talent, he has propelled this business through market slumps and downtimes without a scratch.

Before we, his employees, came along, he did everything himself, so unlike some other bosses I have had who didn't know how to use the fax machine, he is quite capable of doing every menial task by himself (and often does). He trusts us to do our jobs without unnecessary supervision and he doesn't play favorites. Although he is a little unorthodox (he often refuses to speak until after noon), we have all come to understand his reticence. (Plus, when he does speak, he is pretty hilarious.) We know that he expresses his feelings through actions, not through a lot of disingenuous "management" speak and meaningless cheerleading. For instance, I once made the mistake of mentioning that a client was slightly disrespectful when speaking to me, and he let the guy have it.

These are some of the reasons I always considered him the best boss I ever had. But the true depth of his kindness and generosity was revealed when I had my first child four months ago. Having an employee out on maternity leave is a hardship for any business, but especially difficult for a four-person office like ours. He gladly ponied up eight weeks of fully paid leave for me, and I am sure had I asked for more, I would have received it. He had the office throw me an extravagant shower and bought me a very expensive gift. When my daughter was born, I received flowers in the hospital and then at home, and my daughter and I get full health insurance coverage through the company. Our billings were down by about 40%, since he had to pick up my slack, but he didn't mention it.

I had a lot of anxiety about childcare upon my return; I had always imagined that I would be a stay-at-home mom. But after talking to the Angel Boss (as I have come to refer to him), he agreed to let me work what amounts to a 25-hour week at the same rate of pay so I can care for my daughter.

This man has made such a difference in my life, I just want the world to know what a decent human being and wonderful employer he is. I could continue on with specific anecdotes of his magnanimous ways, but suffice it to say that he is one classy dude all around, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to have worked for such an extraordinary man.

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