The best boss I've had was Mrs Reyes, who managed the restaurant where I worked as a waiter during my studies in Quezon City, in the Philippines. I worked there for nearly three years, from the age of nineteen.
It was a busy family restaurant, open from breakfast until late at night, with around twenty staff. Mrs Reyes was the general manager, which meant she dealt with everything from rotas and suppliers to angry customers and broken freezers.
What she did as a manager was quite simple, but most managers don't do it. She held a ten-minute meeting before every shift, where she told us about any bookings for big groups and asked if anyone had a problem. She worked out the rota around our class timetables, and she'd swap shifts so students could study before exams. When it got really busy, she'd put on an apron and carry plates herself instead of standing at the till giving orders.
I think she was a good boss for two main reasons. Firstly, she was fair. She didn't have favourites, and when there was a complaint, she listened to both the customer and the waiter before deciding anything. Once a customer blamed me for a wrong order that was actually the kitchen's mistake, and she calmly showed him the ticket instead of just apologising and blaming me. Secondly, she helped us grow. She trained me to handle the cash at closing time and later to supervise new waiters, which gave me confidence I still use now. I'm working in hotel management these days, and whenever I'm unsure how to handle my team, I ask myself what she would've done.