by Wayne Ramsey

Created on: March 28, 2007   Last Updated: April 17, 2007

Throughout my working life, I have had a great number of bosses, all with their own issues and their own strengths. One of my favorite bosses however, was a brilliant business man. He had a great focus and was incredible to work for because you knew that he would always have your back, regardless of who he was talking to. He was very straight forward, but he was all about his people and accomplishment. Because he back up his people we worked hard for him.

About a year after I began working for him, I started to notice that he was changing quickly. His temperment began to change. He began to sit in his office a lot more when before he would roam the office area talking with people and trying to be much more hands on with the employees, helping them out with any tasks that they might have and ensuring that they understood what needed to be done for each project.

I then noticed that he was showing up later for work, staying later, and just didn't seem to be in the best of moods. One night, I decided that i was going to wait until after everyone else had gone and talk to him. I knew that he would be there because he seemed to always be in the parking lot several hours after I would leave work when I would drive by later to get something to eat. I knew that something strange was happening and he needed someone to talk to him about.

After communicating with him, I found out that he was having issues with his wife, whom he absolutely admired, plus his father was sick. He had started drinking alone in his office every night after work, while his wife was out cheating on him. I of course talked it out with him and became his friend. I took it upon myself to make sure that he was kept busy and got him the assistance that he needed.

After a few weeks he began to be happy again. I would go golfing with him, and would setup dates for others in the office to also hang out with him and keep his thoughts away from his wife. Just by doing these things for him, he knew that he was working with a great group of people. He eventually had the courage to leave his wife and start over. This was a hard time for him, but because he knew he had the support of the office, he was able to do it. Sometimes when people are drinking, you have to realize that it is most likely because they are unhappy in their life. It is important to step up and help them through these times.

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