The Perfect Boss. The Perfect Employee.

I’ve never had the perfect boss. Looking back on it now, some of my bosses had so little experience it seems laughable. Despite their imperfection and lack of experience, the bosses that had the biggest impact on me all shared three qualities:

Belief in a greater mission or purpose
Belief in the people around them
Consistently taking action to improve

Great employees also seem to share these qualities. While I've worked with many great employees, I have yet to work with any perfect ones.

Imperfection isn't an excuse—at some point, a certain level of competence is needed to be an effective leader or employee. What level of competence are we willing to accept? That's a tricky question; there's some matrix of the three attributes listed above, a gut feeling about that person's intent, and our personal needs.

In the case of continued annoyance at the imperfection of others, it's healthy to consider your role in your discontent.

If you've had multiple terrible bosses in a row, it could be that you're the problem.
If all your employees are lackluster, whose fault might that be?

Unattainable expectations create cultures that feel unsafe. Unsafe cultures stifle growth, learning, and creativity. We can point out imperfections all day and go nowhere but what's the point?

While you'll never find the perfect boss or employee, you’ll also never find the perfect friend or partner. I'd be willing to bet your life is full of people who make it richer despite their imperfections.