“Your manager has more impact on your mental health than your therapist or your doctor. A good boss can change your life.”
Working for extraordinary people is everything.
Have you ever had a great boss who changed your life? Someone who made work positive, even when it had no right to be?
When the person in charge checks these boxes in any profession, the results can be profound.
When it’s the boss in a 911 communications center, it can literally change the trajectory of the entire operation.
Such is the power of a boss who understands and embraces their impact on others, especially in a high-stress atmosphere that asks so much of the people on the front lines.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, a boss is, “A person who is in charge of a worker, group or organization.” Chances are good you’ve worked for someone who fits that definition to a tee. No more, no less.
But if you’ve worked for someone who made you feel like anything was possible, that you couldn’t fail because you knew that they had your back, you know the impact that a great boss can have, because you’ve lived it.
Simply stated, great bosses open up possibilities that we would otherwise be unable – or unwilling – to see. They are among the handful of people we come across in our lives who can literally make life richer, fuller and more meaningful.
They celebrate with you when things are great.
They pick you up during difficult times.
Their dedication to you is unquestioned.
The best boss I ever worked for taught me more about what it means to truly care, to carry yourself with positivity and to approach every endeavor with humble curiosity than any person I’ve worked for.
She is also fiercely funny and endlessly interesting (To wit: she was a contestant on the old “American Gladiator” TV show back in the 90’s).
Zim Schwartze didn’t have significant experience in 911 when she took over at Springfield-Greene County (Missouri) 911 in January of 2013. In fact, she had spent the better part of her career up to that point as a decorated police officer, blazing trails that few female officers in her department ever had.
When Zim took over, we were initially concerned about her law enforcement background. Would she truly see and appreciate 911 professionals for who we really were and for the integral job that we did?
She answered our concerns immediately and definitively. Always quick with a smile, when Zim entered a room you happily rode the wave of her relentless enthusiasm. She was bombastic, warm and silly – but completely in charge, hyper-focused and serious when circumstances dictated it.
She was humble and showed tremendous reverence for our profession from day one. “Yes, I was a cop – but I am in awe of all of you for what you do,” she told us in one of our first staff meetings. “I have done a lot of things in my life, but I can’t do what you do. I’m here to help make this place the best it can be, for YOU guys. I couldn’t be prouder to be your director.”
She would dedicate herself to those ideals for the entirety of her tenure.
When Zim had been in the job for just over two years, my brother Craig suffered catastrophic injuries in a motorcycle accident.
Craig would cling to life for the next two weeks. Zim made it clear from day one that work wouldn’t be a worry.
“Go. Be with your family and Craig. I mean it. Don’t you even give this place a thought. I am here for you, any time. Please know that,” she told me, struggling to get the words out.
A couple of weeks later, my immediate family and I were standing around Craig’s hospital bed as he succumbed to his injuries.
As I stumbled out of the room, numb with grief, Zim was there, waiting. She cried with me and hugged me tight, refusing to let go until I did.
I’ll never forget how much she cared and how that made me feel.
Zim led us to great heights. We laughed endlessly, worked together closely, and fought side by side to make our department and our profession better, every single day. Zim earned her way into 911 and became fully accepted as one of us.
In January of 2020, Zim returned to law enforcement as Chief of Capitol Police, leaving our department far better than she found it.
Our seven years together changed my life.
To this day we remain in constant contact. She will always serve as my example for exemplary leadership, as well as what it means to truly, deeply care for others, even when your job description doesn’t require it.
She will always be family to me.
“Your manager has more impact on your mental health than your therapist or your doctor. A good boss can change your life.”
If you are in charge of others at work, embrace the difference you will make.
Dare to be someone’s Zim.
If you work for a boss who has changed your life, cherish your time with them. Learn from them. Carry their examples forward.
Working for extraordinary people is everything.
About Kris Inman:
Kris Inman is the Director of Program Development for The Healthy Dispatcher. A 29-year veteran of 9-1-1, Kris retired in July 2023 as Director of Springfield Greene County 9-1-1 in Springfield, MO. An awarded speaker and instructor, Kris has delivered standout educational sessions, keynotes, motivational talks and yoga instruction to dispatchers across the country. He is also a long-time college adjunct instructor, teaching courses in communication and public safety leadership. Kris holds a Master of Arts in Communication and a Bachelor of Science in Electronic Media from Missouri State University. He is also a registered yoga instructor.
