Working together.

Thinking back over my working life, I've been quite lucky. Overall, my bosses have all been reasonable people. Well, in the circumstances of each job, they've been reasonable people.

But there was one boss I had who I loathed. He and I just did not agree on anything. Admittedly, it would have been difficult for him, trying to meld three different teams, each with their own way of doing things and their own hierarchy, into a single team with one way of doing things.

The main problem was, for me, that this particular boss thought that all the methods and systems he had set up with his team were the only methods and systems ... and he thought that his team was not only the best team, but the only team. In other words, he played favourites.

At first, I didn't mind him, and didn't really believe what others were saying about him. Gradually, however, people moved away, and I seemed to become the sole brunt of his attentions. It wasn't pleasant. Probably the worst part of the entire thing was that I was given little, if any, work to do ... he didn't trust me.

Prior to this amalgamation, I had actually enjoyed going to work. The work was always challenging, the people in our team were excellent and good fun, and we worked hard. Oh, there were ups and downs, I'll admit that, but generally we had a good time.

Then came the bad times, with this new boss. One friend and I used to disappear to the pub at lunch times on a regular basis, to left off steam. Luckily, there never seemed to be a time when both of us were angry at the same time, so the calmer one could act as a buffer for the angry one.

It got to the stage that I almost asked for a transfer to a completely different area, just to get away from this boss. You see, I realised that it was my "quality of life" that was suffering. Basically, I had to drag myself into work every day, I called in sick frequently, and I took as many days off as I could.

Then the boss got offered a transfer ... and he took it. And we got a new boss. At first, the new guy seemed almost wary of me. I had found myself a little niche job and quietly got on with it. Every now and then, I'd check in with the new guy and let him know what was going on.

Under the old regime, that would have been that. In fact, the old boss seemingly left me to the job, with him showing scant interest, just so I'd fail and he could dump all the blame on me. But the new guy had a slightly different approach.

I'd go up to him with an update. Perhaps I was having a bit of a problem. Rather than ignoring it, and suggesting that I just go away and find the answer, the new guy would sometimes come up with a couple of suggestions ... some worked, some didn't. Sometimes, he'd even stop what he was doing and come and help me. Sometimes, we'd discuss it over a beer or three at lunch. In the main, though, I was left to get on with the job, as before - but this time, I felt that if I wanted help, the boss would back me up, and that he trusted me to do a good job.

I started looking forward to going to work again. And, my wife told me afterwards, I showed it in the way I was behaving at home. My enjoyment of life had been restored.

It was some time later that the new boss told me that he had been warned about my "attitude" and to look out for me, as I was a "trouble-maker" (and so was one other person on the team). Interestingly, he also said that the two people he had had the least problems with were the two supposed trouble-makers.

His philosophy was that if you have happy workers, they work better. If they worked happier and better, they got the job done better. And that made him look good. While individuals did their own tasks, overall it was a team effort that got us all through.

Okay, so perhaps I didn't fit into one boss's philosophy of "team building", and I did fit into another's. But the new boss seemed to have the idea that you give credit where it was deserved, and a kick up the back-side (bum, arse, ass) where it was deserved. No favourites (I did get a few kicks).

Have you ever had the chance to go down to, say, the Minardi garage? It's a lovely place to be. Visitors welcome. I don't speak a word of Italian, but Giancarlo Minardi runs a team that is ... well ... good fun, and it's a fun that comes from the top, from Minardi himself. There's a nice feel about the place. They are all enjoying themselves, even though they are towards the back of the grid.

Then go along to the McLaren, for example, garage and it's all business. Serious barriers, serious looks, serious people, serious business. It makes you feel intimidated. You get the horrible feeling that there are some efficiency experts, accountants and managers lurking around every corner; watching, waiting, reporting, looking for the profit margin.

Back to Minardi. Always tight for money, but always trying to give up- and-coming drivers a chance in the big game. As Bob Constanduros said in the 1996-97 Autocourse, Minardi "enjoy their racing" and that flows to-and-fro through the mechanics, the drivers, the management.

Quite simply, the Minardi team are getting full enjoyment out of life simply because they are going racing. The results may not be what they hope for all the time, but it's still good fun. And that's what really counts, isn't it? And it certainly helps to have a good boss.

But that's just me.