I work for an advertising agency. We were working on a huge pitch to a potential client who would be one of the largest the agency had ever landed. I worked nights and weekends with the Creative Director to prepare for the pitch. While waiting to be called into the conference room, my boss was suddenly hit with a stomach bug and I had to step in to do the pitch myself. I had to wing it, but we landed the client! I was so excited. It was the highlight of my career. Unfortunately, when the agency partners went out to celebrate, my boss was invited, and I wasn’t. So much for feeling appreciated.
I am a full-time employee and at the time was taking night classes to earn my degree. I had one semester left to go and was going through a rough time trying to balance everything. One day my boss called me into her office and asked how I was doing. She took the time to listen to me and was very supportive. She was genuinely interested in everything I had to say. She asked if there was anything she could do to make things a bit easier for me. I told her everything was fine, but she insisted that I take an additional week of paid personal time to celebrate after I graduated. I’ve never felt so cared about in my life.