That's all fine - but if somebody has the power to fire you then they are your boss. Yes, a manager's job contains many responsibilities. But they are not just a coach and people should internalize that. If you want somebody who is just a coach or a mentor, find somebody outside of your reporting chain to do that.
I'm a freelancer. It basically means I do exactly the same job as an employee, and can be "fired" for the exact same reasons as an employee. But I never consider my customers as a "boss". If they don't want to work with me anymore, I just find another customer.
And in the end, the difference between freelance and employee is just a legal one.
I never understand why some people willingly put themselves as a "servant" of "the boss". It's a very limiting view on the world. Why not view it as a win-win relationship, where if either party doesn't have any benefit, you can just leave. They pay you, you do the job. They are literally buying your service. If you want to put yourself in a position where "you have to do what they tell you", that's all fine by me. But I will never put myself mentally in that position, because it really is not like that. I don't have to do anything, I'm selling my service under very strict conditions.
