Why Michael Guth Was The Best Boss I Ever Had

And what we can all learn from him

When I least expected it and probably needed it most, I got the best boss I ever had over my 20+ year tenure as a corporate citizen.

I have had the priveledge of working for a lot of super smart, kind hearted, and exceptionally fascinating people (for all kinds of reasons) over the years. I learned a ton from each one of them; including who I wanted to become and who I did not want to become. With all due respect to everyone I ever called "boss", Michael was the best.

I have been trying to figure out what the hell to say in my first post on the other side of just completing the arduous task of firing myself responsibly. Do I reflect on my corporate career, look ahead and wax about potential? Do I give more context to why I decided it was time to set sail, or just yada yada yada?

Nah, let's deflect and give some helpful tips on how to be a dope boss and do it by giving some props to the guy who played a significant role in helping me be able to say, "Hi, my name is Timm, and I'm here to help save corporate America by helping you do your best work as the best version of yourself".

Without further ado, here are 10 reasons Michael was the best, IMHO. I'm not even sure these are the top ones, but then again, it's only been 72 hours since I walked out of that office for the last time, and I did write most of this in the back seat of my in-laws' Hyundai on our way to watch middle school football in small-ish town Oregon.

So we can just call these "The 10 things all bosses should try to emulate, which happen to be 10 of my favorite reasons I loved working for Michael Guth."

1.  He made an obvious effort to get a sense of how I approached the business before we ever met, which showed that he cared about my perspective out of the gate

2.  He took the time to figure out where my head was after the circus that led to his arrival (keeping in mind too this was in April of 2020), and then he met me there

3.  He helped me understand why my head would spin through change, like getting a new boss after a long tenure with someone else

4.  He acknowledged but did not dwell or apologize about him getting the job and not me

5.  He only wanted us to bring to the table open dialogue, big ideas, clarity of desired outcomes, and timelines we could hit 

6.  He leaned into simplicity and welcomed personality

7.  He gave me all the room in the world to run while only holding me accountable to my word

8.  He treated me as an equal intellectually and as a well-intentioned human emotionally

9.  He macromanaged with vision, micromanaged with reason, and both of these approaches made me better

10. He helped me get better at everything I do, and then he helped set me free

At a farewell dinner, Michael told me in so many words that he believed I could leave things better than I found them, and that was going to be a headline of sorts for the career I was about to walk away from. Well, sir. It's a pleasure for my first post on the other side of my corporate career to be a handful of words that not only state why that is what you did for me but also a handful of things that you taught me that I just helped pass along to others

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