Today's Business Lessons
Dislike but respect
Remember the words you used to say when you were in school?
“I hate my teacher. She’s from hell.”
“I hate my prof. He’s a terror.”
Today, when we think about it, we disliked them, because they made us
work the hardest; but we learned the most from them, didn’t we?
The secret is that we were forced to respect them though we never liked them.
Bring this principle to the work place.
“I hate my boss. He’s a jerk.”
“I hate my manager. She’s from hell.” Rather than ranting all the
time, why not learn from them? There must be some things they have that
we still do not, that made them leaders.
Maybe we don’t like their style. Maybe we hate their hairdo or the
lack of it. Maybe their language is brash and rude, but the reason they
are leaders is because they have worked themselves to that position. And
it is best for us to learn the things they have that we still have not.
I have been demeaned, offended, bullied, and made to feel
insignificant by senior bosses when I started work in the corporate
space. These were the bosses whose favorite line was, “Rule number one:
The boss is always right. Rule number two: In case of doubt, refer to
rule number one.”
These were the days when the big bosses said, “It’s either my way or the highway!”
We were mere mortals called “rank and file,” and we cowered in fear.
We obeyed the bosses not because we liked them, but because we feared
them.They called us subordinates, a term that I refrain from using
today. Sub means below. Ordinate probably means ordinary, so you combine
the two words together and we were classified below the ordinary! (just
kidding!)
The word motivation was virtually non-existent. We were at the mercy
of bosses who favored sub-ordinates they personally liked, and
promotions were not based on performance but on their whims and
fancies.
Remember your very first employment? How can anyone forget? Eyes wide
with wonder. All dressed up with the best work clothes our limited
budget could buy. I remember going to work bringing my briefcase with
nothing but my lunch box inside. Every highly-paid executive in our
organization carried a briefcase, and I wanted to look like an
executive.
Those were the days when power play was the rule of the game, and
words like motivation and inspiration were non-existent. Other bosses
were no different. They bullied the new hires; they flirted with the
pretty ones; and they insulted those they did not like.
I was not alone. New hires like me would share horror stories and
compare notes about the monsters we reported to. Then we would make
jokes and assign nicknames to each of them. Perhaps that was our coping
mechanism at work. It was traumatic, but we bore it all.
I cannot explain the science behind this, but until today I can still
remember the faces of the bosses who made life difficult for me when I
was starting my corporate life.
We lived in constant fear of losing our jobs. We were forced to
respect them though we never liked them. The result? We learned from
them. The sad part was that many of us who were promoted into higher
positions began doing the same horrible things to fresh graduates and
new hires.
Things are different today. We have 360-degree feedback. We have exit
interviews. Progressive companies conduct leadership trainings, and
their executives are required to go through them. Things have greatly
improved.
Granted there are still bosses who behave like jerks, but rather than
ranting all the time, why not learn from them and make a promise that
when you get promoted, you will not behave the way they do?
Brush up on your leadership skills. Be inspiring and bring out the
best in your people. Life is short, and some days are long, but an
inspiring leader makes all the challenges of life worthwhile.
No comments:
Post a Comment