If Berger, Big or Aidan Were Your Boss, Who Would You Choose?
Three men. Three management styles. One deeply unscientific career decision about creativity, power and safety.
If Berger, Big or Aidan were your boss, who would you choose, and what does your answer say about how you want to work?
Let us begin with a completely serious professional development exercise.
You have just joined a beautiful independent creative agency.
Great clients. Proper coffee. Expense account. People actually dress for work.
You have been offered exactly the same salary and title in three different departments.
There is only one difference.
Your boss.
And for the purposes of this deeply rigorous HR exercise, all three men are single.
Obviously this should have absolutely nothing to do with your answer.
Obviously.
Option One: Jack Berger, Executive Creative Director
Jack Berger
Cute. Clever. Writer. Slightly nerdy.
Probably has very strong opinions about copy that uses the word “authentic.”
He is the boss who could spend forty minutes changing one sentence because something about it is not landing.
He understands the reference before anyone else in the room.
Brainstorming with him could be fantastic.
Until your idea is better than his.
And now things are... different.
Why you would choose him: You want wit, ideas, creative chemistry and a boss who genuinely understands the work.
The occupational hazard: Can he mentor someone whose talent might eventually eclipse his own?
Oh dear.
Option Two: Mr. Big, Managing Director
Mr. Big
He does not appear to be working particularly hard, yet somehow knows exactly what is happening.
He arrives late to the pitch.
Says six words.
The client signs.
You spent three weeks preparing the deck.
Big has already moved on to lunch.
He is quietly attractive, maddeningly self-assured and not particularly interested in explaining himself.
He probably knows the chairman.
Actually, he probably went to school with him.
Why you would choose him: Access. Money. Influence. Big accounts. Big rooms. Big introductions.
The occupational hazard: You could learn an enormous amount from him if you can figure out what the hell he is thinking.
Thank you, Big. Very actionable.
Option Three: Aidan Shaw, Head of Production & Operations
Aidan Shaw
Everything works.
Nobody quite knows how, but it does.
The suppliers like him.
The account team trusts him.
He remembers that you said your mother was having surgery and asks how she is doing three weeks later.
There is probably a very good chair in his office.
Aidan is not interested in office theatre.
If something breaks, he fixes it.
If someone needs help, he helps.
Why you would choose him: Stability. Humanity. Clear expectations. Low drama.
The occupational hazard: After six months of psychological safety, are you developing professionally or have you simply become extremely comfortable?
Also, he will absolutely want to discuss the workflow.
Again.
So Who Is Actually Your Boss?
No choosing based purely on cheekbones.
HR is watching.
A. Come back to the office, pull the idea apart with me and figure out why it failed.
B. Take control of the room before anyone realises we are in trouble.
C. Calm everyone down, solve the immediate problem and debrief afterwards.
A. Intellectual sparring. Challenge me.
B. Tell me the standard and expect me to reach it.
C. Clear, constructive feedback without making me question my entire existence.
A. This question has suddenly made me nervous about choosing Berger.
B. Big uses it in the meeting and somehow makes me feel honoured to have been included.
C. Aidan says, “That’s better. Let’s do that.”
A. Someone who makes me creatively sharper.
B. Someone who opens doors I cannot open myself.
C. Someone who gives me enough stability to do excellent work.
A. Berger: “I just had a thought about the headline.”
B. Big: “Need you in at 8.”
C. Aidan: “Ignore this until tomorrow, but I didn’t want to forget.”
A. Quite a lot if the work is interesting.
B. I can handle power games.
C. Absolutely none. I came here to earn money.
A. Of course not. I am a professional.
B. Not consciously.
C. I have suddenly changed my answer to Big and I refuse further questions.
Your Results
Mostly A: You Chose Berger
You want stimulation.
You would rather work for someone interesting than someone easy.
You want ideas flying around, arguments about creative choices and the feeling that the work actually matters.
Just remember this:
A brilliant boss who needs to remain the most brilliant person in the room can eventually become a problem.
You are there to grow, not protect somebody else's ego.
Mostly B: You Chose Big
You are playing the career game.
You want proximity to power, important clients, expensive rooms and someone who can expose you to a level of business you have not seen yet.
Fair enough.
But make sure proximity to somebody else's influence does not become a substitute for building your own.
Learn the room. Then make sure you can enter it without him.
Mostly C: You Chose Aidan
You have either achieved emotional maturity or you are exhausted.
Possibly both.
You want a boss who communicates, respects your time and does not make every Tuesday feel like an episode finale.
There is nothing boring about a healthy workplace.
But make sure comfort does not become hiding.
A good boss should make work feel safer. They should also help you become bigger.
So, Who Did You Pick?
Berger, Big or Aidan?
And before you answer, notice what you were actually choosing.
Creativity.
Power.
Or safety.
Sometimes the silly question tells you more than the serious one.
We talk endlessly about leadership styles, workplace culture and professional development.
But ask somebody which fictional man they would choose as their boss and suddenly the answer gets remarkably honest.
Maybe you want someone who makes you sharper.
Maybe you want someone who can take you into rooms you cannot yet enter.
Maybe you are simply tired of chaos and want to work for someone who communicates like an adult.
None of those answers is inherently wrong.
The useful part is knowing which one you are choosing and why.
Just try not to choose entirely with your cheekbones.
