BOSS, GOOD AND BAD

 

From Sampath’s Desk:

 

 

BOSS - GOOD AND BAD

 

The thumb rule is ‘Boss is always right and intelligent.’ However intelligent a subordinate may be, he is only expected to be a simple ‘go-getter’. Any attempt to outsmart the boss is considered nothing but foolhardiness and unwarranted over-enthusiasm.

 

A good boss is one who listens, guides, encourages, motivates, inspires, and most importantly, a mentor to his subordinates. An ideal boss has a sense of humour, shows empathy, is humble and decisive, takes responsibility and shares power. But, a bad boss is a blank wall, a doubter, intimidating, bad-tempered, self-centered, indecisive, arrogant and mistrusting, and has blaming mind-set.

 

A boss can be a leader but a leader becoming a boss would be sometimes disastrous. For a boss may sometimes even pretend to know everything whereas a leader is ready to admit aberrations and inadvertences, if any. While a boss tells subordinates what to do, a leader shows how to do! A boss criticizes, but a leader advices. The former talks fast and gives orders while the latter provides direction. Boss demands respect but the leader automatically gets it. Boss rules with threats while leader shows practical sense, wisdom and humaneness. While some bosses believe and/or depend mostly on hearsay, a good one calmly and subtly investigates and ferrets out the truth. In short, while a boss says ‘go’, a leader says ‘let’s go’.

 

Though retired now, I had always not just discharged my duties and responsibilities to the satisfaction of my bosses and got accolades from them on many occasions, but enjoyed and celebrated doing my work. For, most of my bosses had sterling qualities like communication with clear vision, giving credit to others instead of taking it unto themselves, connecting vision to tasks, caring for employees, developing strong and competent teams under his leadership, valuing employee opinions and last but not the least, appreciating and rewarding good performances and good performers. They are the ones who develop people instead of just using them, coach employees instead of driving them, depend on goodwill rather than authority and fix the breakdown instead of unleashing blame against people for the same.

 

My bosses were a source of great motivation and inspiration to me. They gave me the elixir of trust in me.

 

I had many occasions to tell my boss, “You have made my work more interesting, Sir. I have the highest job satisfaction quotient.”

 

Some positive pleasing words I always used while updating my boss and giving feedback on the ‘action taken’ on his instructions like, “I have an inspiring leader in you, Sir. With you at the helm, it is only a win-win for all the employees and the organization too.” These were not remarks just to please or flatter the boss but ones to describe what and how good they really were.

 

With my penchant for English language, I had the fire in me to use at least few jargons to embellish my write-up, as has been my wont. Once, while reading through a write-up drafted by me, my boss politely said, “It is an excellent one couched in a fantabulous language. But then why are you making the reader to keep a dictionary by the side? Of courses, we should use decorated and embellished language on special occasions." I apologized to him and said, “Ok Sir, hereafter I would keep ‘clarity’ being the watchword while drafting communications.” This is not self-boasting. That is how a good boss made me realize to use simple language in official communications; otherwise, there would be scope of the content being misunderstood, misinterpreted and not properly acted upon.  

 

Fortunately, most of my bosses had broad outlook to appreciate good work. Said they always, “with people like you around, it is only failsafe and safe-sail for me”. What else a Secretary could ask for beyond this - a pat on my back? A word of appreciation is always a better morale booster than even the Vitamin M (a monetary benefit), I feel. For it has more enduring positive impact on the recipient. Yes it works wonders and makes the trick; and even magic at times. In fact, Talent Appreciation Practice (TAP) is a tool to talent management in any organization.  

  

However, I did have to face a few hard nuts too to crack and those were the grey days in my career. If it comes to that, one would exercise option to pick up a boss rather than a job. But in practice, you can neither pick nor divorce your boss. And it is quite possible that bosses who don’t listen will end up being surrounded by people who have nothing to say.

They say people don’t leave bad jobs; but they leave bad bosses.

 

A bad job with a good boss is better than a good job with a bad boss. 

 

Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth. Isn't it?

If your boss says something, it may have different tacit meanings as mentioned below:

'You have done a great job' - means  -'More work will be given to you'.

'We will do it' - means - 'You will do it'.

'That's a good question' - means - 'I don't know anything about it'.

'We're a team' - means - ' I am not the only one to be blamed'.

'All the best' - means - 'You're in trouble'.

To conclude, even the so-called boss has a boss. And, of course, the ultimate BOSS is THE GOD; isn't it???!!!

 

 

R.SAMPATH

11/2/2020