4 horsemen of the apocalypse, 4 good bosses
This post is about what constituted a good boss for me when employed. I am now self-employed and have been for a while. In about 10 weeks I’ll mature to 53 years of age, so have had a number of direct or indirect bosses, though not since 2014, and to be honest don’t miss being employed in the industry that I was in, and if you read a piece I’d written elsewhere you’d understand why.
So what and who did I think was a good boss and what do 4 horsemen have to do with it all?
Wikipedia - for brevity….
Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse[1] are figures in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Bible, a piece of apocalypse literature attributed to John of Patmos. Similar allusions are contained in the Old Testament books of Ezekiel and Zechariah, written about six centuries prior. Though the text only provides a name for the fourth horseman, subsequent commentary often identifies them as personifications of Conquest (Zelus), War (Ares), Famine (Limos), and Death (Thanatos).
Please note that there is no chronological order to these bosses.
My 4 good ex-Bosses
They are in fact opposites of the 4 horsemen. If you read below I explain.
I learnt if you act the opposite to appalling bosses, then you become good management, and this did work for me. I was not the best but had no real intention of subjected to the styles of Victor Synott across to Jim Brigden or Warren Burke for example.
Being young and stupid I did the opposite to those with poor man management who resorted to bullying, interspersing their styles with dashes of immorality, and smatterings of sheer cruelty.
But there was more to it that doing the opposite as that only lasts so long. I had to have people I could learn from, who would teach me, who cared, who in fact cared for my growth as a person and not a mere employee. People I could out for a drink with after work in London on a Friday, knackered and frazzled, and pour my heart out to them. People I now realise who were just as bat shit crazy, but a little older and experienced, cared about people not wanting them to emulate mistakes they’d made, or simply have a crap day or career.
I learnt so much from these four and thank you.
Conquest for me is Taryn Newlove (Dr Taryn Bashford as she is now)
The opposite? Not succumbing to conquest of self, from all sides.
I learnt from Taryn how it is possible to overcome prejudice, adversity; whilst pursuing a dream. And Taryn taught me how to be tough and fair, whilst she took a barrage of sexism in the advertising field; with my suspecting her South African heritage standing her in good stead. She was never shy in saying what she thought to people, me included.
I first met Taryn when she became my boss at Carlton TV in the Halcion days of my media career in London in the early 2000’s. I was, ahem, a handful to say the least and the industry up and down like a yo-yo.
Pretty, intelligent and most importantly a SAFFER.
If you are to read her LinkedIn profile or learn about Taryn, she has brought up two wonderful kids, taken a career change into writing and academia and done very well.
She is now an Associate Director at The University of Queensland and very happy pursuing her dream.
I learnt a lot about responsibility, teamwork, and about how to be a good boss, and look after people. Taryn extoled the rule of giving people empowerment and responsibility and control over their destiny. This was her South African ethos; just get on with it in your own style and achieve the objective.
War for me is Carol Dukes
The opposite to war? Don’t go to war, be the thinker, the Strategist.
Carol Dukes was behind Emap Online and then Carlton Online, where I was one of her employees, is and was one of the cleverest people I have met with a common touch.
I learnt from her that all out warfare in business, especially the advertising community and in the dotcom boom, is and will always be a pointless, vanity led, wasteful, and crippling project.
Carol successfully built and led from the front the fast paced and leading digital media business at the start of the rollercoaster ride in 1998 that was to become Joe Public embracing The Web. This was Carlton Online, part of Carlton TV, one of the biggest franchise operators of ITV.
To see her operate as the consummate Strategist avoiding warfare with rival Media Owners who were literally throwing millions into digital, when we working with fookin’ dial up modem, and Flash was thought to be funky, was amazing to see and learn from.
I learnt so much about not playing the game, not picking up the ball, avoiding confrontation and being good at self, colleagues, and what your business does. I learn this from Carol.
There is one thing that has always stuck with me. One day I was dealing with an individual at Mindshare (WPP) who was not happy with the media rate we were charging. So he went above my head and called Carol, who backed up my decision despite this person and agency being a major play with budgets we needed. She simply said something to me that has stuck and been oft quoted many, many times:
“Too much, too soon, too young”. Always the Teacher. It was her way of keeping me grounded.
Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov
Famine for me is Phil Rooke
Now you may think this an odd one if you know Phil Rooke. I shall explain. Phil as my direct boss at Carlton Online was on the senior management leadership team with Carol Dukes and basically led sales and commercial affairs. From him I learnt the opposite of famine which is growth and harvest, and Phil is, was exceptional as to this. He grew businesses because he knows how to grow people.
He helped found business with limited “advertising space” to sell in the oh so early days of digital marketing, and was a true creative at the creation of products and services to be sold to clients. Always at the forefront of new things. A natural curosity. For God’s sake he chose Microlight flying as a hobby!
I learnt that you can always find and make opportunities in times of famine, and Phil showed me this and much more, with his having a erudite mind, caring for people, and always being creative. I learnt to think out of the box from Phil. Always looking for a solution.
And this is why if you look to Phil’s profile you’ll see a true entrepreneur. But crucially someone who realised, leverage, and taught me that businesses are made of people, so nourish them; but what was special was that this is natural to Phil.
Death for me is Richard Firminger
Why death and why Richard Firminger? The opposite of death is life, rebirth, rising from the ashes, achievement over adversity. He is someone I admire for what he has achieved, of obstacles overcome, and for never giving up.
Richard was my boss when at Yahoo! UK & Ireland, and I think he can be summed up with the care and help he showed me when I was off ill in 2007 with clinical depression for three months. He understood and helped coax me back to returning to work when broken. He himself had not had it easy, also occupying very senior and stressful roles. I looked to him and thought, if he can do it, I can do it.
When you look to his profile he is like the other three, plus being a true achiever. Richard was in a very challenging position at Overture as it proceeded to be shoe horned into Yahoo! UK & Ireland. He had to deal with some absolute Yahoo! types who had and probably still do have the morals of an alley cat, and I am being diplomatic when I say that.
A leader, entrepreneur, yet he demonstrated the opposite to death in a personal and business context, whereby he kept coming back. And as a sales and commercial type I learnt so much from this, and in recent years his rubbing off on me probably was one of those subconscious factors in my never giving up, of embracing and loving the fact that the opera is not over until the fat lady sings, and of making sure you put a chair against her stage room door so she cannot get out. Richard is one of those. I suspect he stuck two fingers up at the Yahoo! Cronies and was always one of the team, and fondly thought of by his ex-team today. If you know Firminger’s story it is one of clearly snatching victory out of the jaws of defeat, and whilst showing the flaws we all have as humans, coming out on top for self and others.
Saint-Sever Beatus
But what was the common theme?
Across all 4 people is a common theme that I picked up on. Each of these people has their own style and idiosyncrasies. Just like we all do. But each one follows the golden rule:
The Golden Rule is the principle of treating others as one would want to be treated by them. It is sometimes called an ethics of reciprocity, meaning that you should reciprocate to others how you would like them to treat you (not necessarily how they actually treat you). Various expressions of this rule can be found in the tenets of most religions and creeds through the ages.[1] Wikipedia.
I suppose I can also finish with the following, namely you get what you give. The Universe I am convinced operates and lives in a most sarcastic form of Karma. Do you want to be the dog that has its day? All these three people were great bosses because they helped people on the way up. Others don’t and I know a few. And when you fall you need help. And in my game people can and do piss on you if you plummet when saddled with a questionable reputation. And you can fall at any time.
We always have a Wildcard in life and the Universe
And it comes in the form of an Insiad Graduate from whom I learnt so, so much and helped cement and grow my commercial and legal knowledge. This man was not a direct boss but I worked closely with him at Carlton/ITV, and smile fondly at our commercial sessions together.
He fascinated me with his acumen, whit; saddened me with his life story, and held me astounded with his tales. This man is so posh, yet was our Henry V and we were his band of brothers. He operates within an orbit that only star ships do. This is a man who appeared in a US Court in his pyjamas in the middle of nowhere to argue his case. He is very intelligent and bat shit crazy, and one of the most caring and thoughtful people I met in my time in London, despite his operating in shark ridden environment working with the likes of David Cameron before Pork Loins entered politics.
You know who you are and thank you.
I still remember you barracking me in the depths of the The Media Centre on Great Titchfield Street as I desperately fought your intellect as you asked me which bit did I not understand? I still don’t understand a lot if honest, but learnt so much from you.
Eduard von Steinle