Boss’s Day is the ultimate Hallmark holiday. However, it is important for the simple reason that the boss rarely gets pats on the back, which is something we all appreciate and need from time to time. Our team at Zephyr wanted to share with you why we love working for Allan and why we think he is such a great boss.
Kris (Joined the team: 1999)
Allan deserves recognition for a lot of reasons, but developing people is a key of being a successful boss and he has helped me hone and develop my work style through our almost 20 years of working together. Here are some of the things I have learned, in part, from Allan.
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- Focus on the important stuff and let the little things slide when you have to.
- It’s okay to work a lot of hours, as long as you balance them with daily exercise and a healthy social life.
- Challenge yourself by stepping out of your comfort zone at times.
- Help others when they ask, but otherwise stay out of their way.
- It is good to have goals, even when you don’t always reach them.
- Get input on decisions you are struggling with.
- Don’t invest time in things that are not working.
And see this bullet-point list I am made? I learned the use of this valuable skill from Allan. Makes this part of the blog much easier to read, don’t you think? Thank you, Allan, for providing a great environment in which to grow!
Reno (Joined the team: 2006)
A lot has happened at Zephyr Adventures, in our personal lives, and in the world in the past twelve or so years since I started working with the team at Zephyr Adventures. It has been a challenge to keep up and even more so to get and then stay ahead in the industries we work in. Having a good and flexible strategy is key. Having a strong team to implement that strategy is important. Having a good leader to adapt that strategy and direct that team is essential. Allan is that good leader.
Then at some point in the past twelve or so years while working with Allan to implement a strategy that gets and then keeps us ahead it became clear that Allan is not only a good leader, he is also a good friend. And it is this friendship that makes working ‘for’ Allan feel more like working ‘with’ Allan and that is pretty rad. Thanks, Allan.
Sonya (Joined the team: 2007)
Working remotely – as all of Zephyr’s employees do – has its challenges (think: can’t take your boss out for a beer on boss’s day), but managing and leading your employees remotely as Allan does has to be even more challenging. Allan does an incredible job of communicating, motivating, and facilitating from afar. His management style helps each of us be productive and successful and feel like a valued team member. I am thankful to have Allan as a boss and a friend!
Beth (Joined the team: 2015)
I’m constantly impressed by Allan’s entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to truly “loving what you do”. I’ve learned so much from him, not only about the business of adventure travel but how to approach projects and problems by thinking creatively to come up with new solutions and learning when to walk away from something when it just isn’t working out.
I also admire that he regularly checks in with each individual member of the team to gauge how they are performing in their position and to ask them if they are enjoying what they are doing – but the biggest thing is that he takes what you have to say to heart and actually makes changes accordingly! I have never worked for someone that is so genuinely dedicated to the happiness of his employees and not just concerned about the bottom line.
Kerry (Joined the team: 2015)
It is easy to admire someone who has successfully turned following their passions into a career. It is easy to respect someone who has created a position within their company that allows you to do the same. The day I knew that Allan was more than a respectable, admirable boss, was the day I left my first position at Zephyr Conferences.
Allan did not scorn me for leaving my position of conference operations manager to travel through Myanmar and Vietnam. Rather he merely nodded in agreement and told me to have fun, he had done something similar when he was my age, leaving his job in Poland to see what else he could make of himself. Allan is interested in more than finding good employees, he is invested in making sure that we continue to grow and challenge ourselves as individuals, it is through these challenges and new experiences that we thrive. Thank you, Allan, for allowing us to be our wild selves.
Robyn (Joined the team: 2015)
Allan has an uncanny knack as a business owner and entrepreneur to understand and his company, employees, and customers. He is an inquisitive manager and makes an enormous effort building a successful, diverse company and maintain a delicate balance of making work fun and rewarding. He is one of the most enjoyable people I have ever worked for!
Kristy (Joined the team: 2016)
It’s a pleasure to work for someone that not only respects us as individuals, but that also encourages autonomy, welcomes our ideas and pushes us to be our best. All that and Allan values a work/life balance, allowing us an opportunity to live our best lives doing things we love both at work and at home. Thanks, Allan!
Sara (Joined the team: 2017)
In just six short months of employment, Allan has already proven to be a great boss! He took a chance on me and believed my passion for craft beer and conference organization experience were enough to bring me on board full time. Since then, he’s made sure the job and my assignments are as appealing to me as they are to the company. He encourages us to mold our job to our liking. No job is stagnant and he’s open to change to ensure our job satisfaction. And best of all, Allan never micromanages and always asks for team input. Zephyr is a great team to work for and it’s in no small part because Allan is a great leader.
Well, I am quite honored and a little bashful to read this on the Internet. Thank you, my friends.
The highest compliment you all paid to my managerial ability is that I didn’t know this post was in the works until I received the RSS feed email in the mail that alerted me!
Haha, sounds like they gotcha, Allen! 🙂
Thanks, Alan, and all the rest of the Zephyrites, for passing along the enthusiasm and passion for your work to the people who take the tours. A big part of the enjoyment of going on adventures with the Zephyr crew is the awesome vibes that come from anyone with whom you have contact, from the first planning stages through to the post-event evals. Rock on, Alan and Zephyr. 🙂