But Bob defended and supported me, taking the blame and the risk by saying I was following his orders and only confirming what he knew to be true. I never had to account to anyone else but Bob in this case, because he protected me and my job.
There were other good qualities in Bob's leadership. He was kind and understanding when illness or calamities occurred in employees' lives. He spent extra time when necessary, if work problems came up. But he also made sure that he took his own vacation and spent time with his family. He was constantly reading and learning new ways to do things. The employees were encouraged to become better educated about their jobs and were sent to workshops and special classes for their skills.
Even though he was a very busy man, Bob's door was always "open" for employees to come and talk with him about any issue. Employees knew he would look with a fair eye upon their requests and problems. He, however, was not a pushover for sob stories and self-serving requests. He had long experience in handling employees, but more than that, he was open and fair to all sides, which of course included the opposite side to the employee's complaint. A quiet...
When the job is over, it is complete. It is not half-done or left for someone else to finish. This is a unique quality in leaders and one that is sometimes overlooked. (Carnegie, p. 14). There are also many other good points concerning leadership and getting along with people to be gained by reading this book.
Bob had the goals of the company in mind for the majority of his decisions, which were reflected in the attitude he took toward his work, but if company policies or changes appeared to become a detriment to the workers, Bob would carefully work it out so that the company did not slight the workers in any changes that were made. Perhaps one of the reasons for this was that the employees worked with subordinate staff and patients and if they were unhappy, it would reflect in their work, and by default reflect badly on the company. On the other hand, with this still
