7 lessons I never forgot from the best bosses I ever had

• A good boss shows you the ropes of your industry and guides you in achieving your long-term goals.
• Though you may have had both good and bad bosses, you've most likely walked away with valuable lessons that have stuck with you from a memorable boss.
• Natalia Lusinski had bosses who taught her meaningful lessons — like that it's OK to say no and to follow her passions — that helped her get to where she is today. 

Chances are that through your career, you've had both good bosses and not-so-good ones. Either way, you probably walked away from each experience with valuable lessons.

"The relationship you have with your boss or supervisor can have an impact on your career — and life — for years to come," Teague Simoncic, a career coach with Ama La Vida, told Business Insider. "On a day-to-day basis, the way your boss handles conflict or difficulty can teach you a lot about how to handle similar situations in the future."

Simoncic said that all in all, the best bosses are role models and sources of inspiration who may have helpful input on how you can achieve your long-term goals.

"Taking time to develop a meaningful connection to your boss can help lead to lifelong career growth and opportunities," she said.

Here are seven lessons I learned from the best bosses I've ever had — lessons that continue to help me in both my work and my personal life.

SEE ALSO: 5 signs your boss doesn't like you as much as you think

1. I learned effective time-management skills.

I used to work as a writers' assistant and script coordinator on TV shows, doing everything from taking notes in the writers' room and keeping track of storylines to creating episode outlines and proofreading scripts.

I was usually the last person to glance over the final script and would then email it to a crew of about 100 to 200 people. (No pressure!)

At one of my first jobs, my supervisor was a time-management superstar, fielding more than 100 phone calls and countless emails each day. I happened to sit next to him and started emulating the way he prioritized tasks.

For instance, in addition to using an online calendar and to-do list, he had a master handwritten one next to his computer, with tasks organized by most to least important. As he completed tasks, he highlighted them, color-coding them by subject — some in yellow, some in green, and so on.

Today, I still use his time-management and prioritization system. Though I have a color-coded Excel chart for my writing deadlines, I still keep a master handwritten to-do list next to my laptop.

2. You can ask for help if you need it.

I used to hate asking people for help. I believed that I could figure everything out myself.

But when I saw one boss asking her boss for help (I previously thought she knew everything) I realized that asking for help isn't a weakness — it's necessary and can help you complete your tasks more efficiently.

3. It's OK to say no if you cannot do everything yourself.

Sometimes bosses will give you a seemingly endless number of to-dos because in the past you've proved that you can do it all — why wouldn't they pile on more responsibilities? However, if you focus on quantity more than quality, the latter may suffer.

At one TV-production job, I felt bad about saying no to any request and was completely burned out as a result. When my boss learned I was the last person in the office each night, she told me to delegate tasks to a coworker if I had too many things on my plate.

Saying no is critical if you want the quality of your work to speak for itself.