3 Bosses who influenced me the most

I have met many of people during my professional career. Thousands, if not tens of thousands. But, for sure, I still remember my bosses. Working as an entrepreneur, and not having a formal boss for the last 10 years or so, does not erase my memory of working for someone. Especially if that someone was great and changed my career a lot.

Well, only a part of that applies to my first boss. Let’s call him “Ivan Yuryevich” or just “YI” to be short. Many guys from my small hometown will recognize him and would wonder why YI became an influential boss for me. His influence on my future management style was rather unusual — when I established my first company, I promised myself that I would NEVER become my old boss. I would not micromanage, I would trust my employees and managers and would put my everything into the company. I would be present. I would be 110% involved. The first company I worked for was a jumpstart for my career. I grew up from a junior software developer to a manager of my own project team within the company. I got to meet a lot of friends, as well as a core of my future firm in that company. Now, more than a decade later, I see 3 successful multi-million dollar agencies established by people who worked for my first boss, including mine. Maybe his management style wasn’t that bad, and just created strong leaders? I guess the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

My second boss was the total opposite. Great businessman, fantastic warm personality and charm, and a lot of experience. Jan Linders, a CEO at NiteSoft — a hotel management system — I am thankful for the time I worked for you. We were the first Swedish-owned company in the entire Southern region in Russia. I still remember the “fun” times trying to find a CPA who knew how to do GAAP compliant financial statements in a country where people hadn’t even heard of QuickBooks. There was a lot of learning involved, but Jan was helpful, understanding and supporting. He was the boss I wish everyone had in their life. If I am to take one lesson that Jan taught me, it would be delegation. He once said on a Skype call — “Andrey, your time cost $xx/hr for the company. You already spent 5hrs on that. Find someone whom you can teach, then control, then trust and remove yourself from the process”. I still follow this great advice.

Finally, my third boss, whom I should have actually put before everyone else, is my dad. He gave me this entrepreneurial spirit that burns inside and does not let me settle. My father has no LinkedIn profile, and I am sure he won’t check his mailbox more than once a month (if ever). However, dad was never afraid to teach me such simple things in life like the value of money, savings, and investments. He taught me, unintentionally, how to appreciate minimalism and which things are important in life. He taught me that more, newer and cooler does not necessarily directly translate to happiness. That family and children should take priority even when it is hard. Why do I call dad my boss? He was, technically, my first employer. I still remember 7 variations of fishing knots. Exactly 7 more than any of my friends in Los Angeles :) He influenced me to be who I am —an entrepreneur.

What did you guys learn from your bosses? Who influenced you the most?