Thoughts Decoded

We all have them. We love to hate them. We also love talking about them. Because of that, our friends also hate them. The subject crops up in every telephone conversation, at parties, at dinners with friends and during huddles in the office stairwell. If you are brave you even discuss this topic with your colleagues while sitting at your desk, meters away from where your object of dissatisfaction sits.

For those still wondering what on earth I am talking about, I am referring to bad bosses, the species that have quite a few websites devoted to it. And my article is a piece (master piece) stolen from all of them.

Let me introduce you to bad boss – He is a person who consistently has a de-energizing effect on his/her team which results in higher attrition, higher employee recruiting and training costs and loss in productivity.

But as much as we enjoy boss bashing, the truth is there is a difference between boss who intellectually stimulates you and pushes you to ensure his/her high standards are met and a tyrant who is just, well, a tyrant. The former may be a tough to work with, but every hour with him/her is a learning experience as you learn to push yourself harder to produce better and better work. Well they say – you learn more under unreasonable bosses (I have no idea who are THEY) (I remembered my college days – I learned more under sir’s whose only prey were my some innocent friends and me – I was innocent too!!).

Not just the pressure of achieving targets but there are many other factors that affect the productivity like the stress due to unhealthy relationship between the boss and their subordinates – thwart instead of nurturing, competitive instead of complimentary.
An online survey says that 42% of employee changed jobs due to non-cooperative and bad superiors. And many more due to better job opportunities… Ahhhhh!!! But that’s not what this piece is all about……..

A majority of boss and subordinate clashes are due to personality differences. A boss may look idle to some and can be idol to few others. He may behave rude to some and be his best to others. If you feel his behavior is specific to you and not across the board then you need to talk about it to him or his superiors. And as said your perception may not always be a fact and if it is so then learn to deal with it, or start new.

Many organization do not see a boss taking credit for others work as “bad behavior”, since all intellectual property generated during work somehow belongs to the employer any way (have no idea as to how). If that’s what it is then be it that way. What is more important is that you made your boss look great and wise in front of others and doesn’t a happy boss mean a happy you?

I am just not against them….let me speak for them too…..Even though bashing bosses is a favorite pastime, we must not forget that there is also a boss’s point of view (which I cannot explain as I am not one of them!!!)

And there is nothing wrong about boss log (read it in Hindi) to be what they are. It would just take their cushioned chair, laptop (wow!!) and off course position for us to be like them. So either you fight from where you are at present or thrive to be one of them…… choice is yours!!!!