The job ended last week. The last day, there was the debrief — two hours of people slapping each other on the back, with a little bit of actual feedback on how to make the place run better — followed by the traditional taco lunch. (I had never had tacos al pastor before. Really tasty.)

I had to say goodbye to a lot of people. The future is uncertain, both for me, and in a lot of cases, for them.  I have applied for a job with the Census, and the other senior verifier has an exciting job lined up with a non-profit.

And I had to say goodbye to our team lead.

While the head of the VBM was technically our supervisor, the permanent staffer who was our team lead was really our boss. And what a boss she was.

I separate bosses into three categories:

1. Bosses I would walk over hot coals for.
2. . Bosses I would possibly walk over hot coals for, but I would have to think about it first.
3. Meh.

I suppose there could be a category under “Meh” but I haven’t yet had any bosses that fit that description. Fortunately.

Our team lead definitely was in the first category.

She is bright, with a great sense of humor, and an ability to quickly grasp the complexities of a situation. (She is also very, very pretty. It’s just not fair.)

She is also humble. Last spring, she was tasked with heading up the signature verification unit having had no experience with the work. She asked me and the other senior signature verifier to walk her through the process, and explain unusual or difficult situations. By the fall, she was well versed in pretty much everything.  As a friend (who was a former supervisor who also fell into the “hot coals” category) said, “humility in leaders is a great and rare thing.”

I know she’ll go far. I hope I’m around to see it.