I'm 29 and had a number of jobs since I was 16.
I've had really crappy bosses ( almost always from jobs I took out of desperation or I was new to the field), and really good bosses (from jobs I typically either really wanted or I had compatible pwesonalities).
The jobs I did the worst in and the one I got fired from was a job in which the manager not only didn't like my personality, but didn't want to accommodate my learning style. I'm very hands on and I like someone to basically watch me do something just once. I don't learn well being given an email with a set of instructions that are very vague, having to wait two or three hours on end for a response, and then have my work ethic or intelligence questioned when something goes wrong. I also don't enjoy being yelled at. I remember completing a disabikity claim once and then asked about a policy I felt was related. The response from the training manager was, “I don't know what you're talking about because that's got nothing to do with you.” There was no reason for that form of response. I also hated when a boss would rag on me for simple mistakes anyone could make. If I sent in a form to one boss with a typo, they would call me into their office to “explain.” I told them it was a typo and said I would fix it and they said, “you know that this is form 22d nor 22f. I wanna know why you put it as 22f.” I explained it was an accident and not intentional. Yet they still said to me, “…but this is form 22b. What made you put an f instead of a b?” At that point its clear that unless this boss had some kind of neurodivergent condition, the point of them asking me why I made a typo was to try and humiliate me. I'm human, accidental key strokes happen. So why waste our time making me explain why I made a typo!? I was new to the job and that was my first time filling out that form. Needless to say, I began to lose faith in my boss, my company, and felt no purpose at work. I also noticed that I didn't have the same sense of humor they did and they felt I was “an eccentric guy” as one boss put it. They felt my hobbies of Muay Thai and wrestling were “cheeky and juvenile” and that I am “too ambitious beyond my capability.” Mind you, I was not one to show up late or act inappropriately. I admit I'm a weird guy but I didn't believe being on the wrong side of a boss that plays favorites was a good thing. I also believe that I was discriminated against at one point due to my hearing loss, but couldn't quite prove it since at the time I didn't know my rights very well. I'd be left out of meetings and given an email summary or that boss would clearly look very annoyed when I asked them to speak up. They were very soft spoken and didn't like being near people it seemed. A lot of people didn't like them but I'm told by an old coworker that I tend to “stick out” from a crowd or that “my presence could be felt in the building.” I digress.
The best jobs I had where I was promoted regularly, given raises, and I genuinely felt like I was contributing were jobs where the people in charge were intense with their training, didn't need to yell at or insult me to get a point across, and were direct. They took the time to see why things made sense to me and told me why things are done the way they are. In turn, I was able to help streamline processes they had in place, rescue difficult circumstances with clients and patients, train people who were struggling and make them really good at what they do, and people respected me. I was never judgmental to anybody and I treated everyone the same. I hated the k ow-it-all mentality a lot of supervisors had, to where they were dismissive of what other people had to bring to the table from previous experiences. I also never yelled at, insulted, or humiliated people. Basically if being treated with respect, having clear expectations, and being given a patience during my early phase, I felt I could be at my beat because I wasn't being punished for being myself. I also proudly took up more responsibilities or asked for more in order to further my learning or contribute to the cause, especially in a non-profit.
All in all, I take ownership of my own mistakes. But I do think how well you are trained and liked by your superiors has a big impact on your performance and growth. I also believe that your drive to succeed and grow doesn't take you very far if your superior doesn't want you going very far. Thoughts?