My favorite manager was a commander when I was in the military. He was easily the best leader I've ever worked for, hands down. The man was sharp as hell - he

My favorite manager was a commander when I was in the military. He was easily the best leader I've ever worked for, hands down. The man was sharp as hell - he always seemed a step ahead of everyone around him. He'd sit us down and explain his strategies in relatively good detail so we knew what was going on and why we were doing things in a certain way. He welcomed criticism and was generous with the compliments. He ensured everyone got to leave when the day was done, and wasn't afraid to say "No, that's stupid. I'll take the heat until this is fixed." Zero micromanagement, tons of trust, and he was nice, too. If managers on average were half as loyal to their workers as he is, the world would be a much better place.