Today, my boss of a little over seven years, told our team that he had turned in his resignation.

In all my years of being an IT professional, I cannot think of a boss, from whom, I have learned more about my chosen vocation. When Dave came in, he added structure to a disjointed program and gave us guidance on just how to do things better. We learned what mattered and what didn’t, pertaining to business continuity and disaster recovery. We learned how a good leader should and shouldn’t act. We also gained confidence in our skill sets, and really came together as a team.

I won’t sugar-coat everything. Dave and I butted heads a little, but nothing more than two adults with opposing views would, when they care about something. The important thing is that he, nor I, ever crossed any lines and were always respectful of each other’s opinions. He always had our back, and the proof was in the pudding. He was unafraid to do the right thing by us and we always felt “safe” under his guidance.

Personally, I feel like we got along well. Soccer not being the least of them, we talked about a lot of different things. As his subordinate, he confided in me about things and, I to him. It was a relief to me that all of our conversations did not have to revolve around work. I even bought my motorcycle from him. I got the pleasure of meeting and knowing his wife, Heather, who passed away during his tenure. I’m sure that was a rough time for him, and I hope he knew how we prayed for her, him and their children.

I know all good things come to an end and, at the end of the day, our team will carry on. I just wish I could learn more from Dave. I consider him a mentor and friend and I wish him well.