Meet the New Boss...Same As the Old Boss
There's a movie out now about three people that want to kill their bosses. I haven't seen it, but the trailer looks interesting, and that's because we've all sort of been there.
Do you have, or have you had a boss that you just couldn't stand? Maybe not to the point of murder, but you seriously hoped that they'd reach the end of their career at least?
I had a couple of beauties...
Back in '83 on my first real construction job I had a simple task to start each day...I had to buy a case of beer for my foreman. Not kidding, I'd punch in and head off to the store to pick up 24 bottles of ice cold Bud. I'd watch my boss, who was usually in a good morning mood, click back the tab on that first one. We'd talk for a minute, and then I'd be off to work. That one minute conversation was significant though because it was the only coherent thought that came from him all day.
By noon he'd be pissed up and really mean. He'd torture the crew with his rants, and I didn't take a lot of the heat because I was buying his beer. I hated the sight of the man.
My Dad fired him for me and the rest of the crew. Somehow, Dad, who was running the whole job found out about the drinking.
Then there was another enormous man who really wasn't into anything but belittling and control. He didn't seem to care much about the job that was being done or the money being made, he just wanted to put people down. Being a college guy I sort of saw right through him...it was his own insecurity shining through.
"There are two things you seem to know little about," I told him on the day I left the job, "construction and weight control."
Anyway...I tossed in a few other things and was able to tell my boss off as one would in the movies. Unfortunately, some people have to eat a lot of shit from a bunch of real power-hungry idiots.
Thankfully my two bosses now are great.
I answer to a smart, funny man at work. He was a friend of mine long before the working arrangement was established. We have never had a cross word in 20 years of knowing one another.
And then there is the boss at home...she certainly seems to respect the job I'm doing. So all good.
My advice?
Same advice my father gave all of us:
"Don't take no shit from nobody."
Maybe not grammatically correct, but you get the message.
Do you have, or have you had a boss that you just couldn't stand? Maybe not to the point of murder, but you seriously hoped that they'd reach the end of their career at least?
I had a couple of beauties...
Back in '83 on my first real construction job I had a simple task to start each day...I had to buy a case of beer for my foreman. Not kidding, I'd punch in and head off to the store to pick up 24 bottles of ice cold Bud. I'd watch my boss, who was usually in a good morning mood, click back the tab on that first one. We'd talk for a minute, and then I'd be off to work. That one minute conversation was significant though because it was the only coherent thought that came from him all day.
By noon he'd be pissed up and really mean. He'd torture the crew with his rants, and I didn't take a lot of the heat because I was buying his beer. I hated the sight of the man.
My Dad fired him for me and the rest of the crew. Somehow, Dad, who was running the whole job found out about the drinking.
Then there was another enormous man who really wasn't into anything but belittling and control. He didn't seem to care much about the job that was being done or the money being made, he just wanted to put people down. Being a college guy I sort of saw right through him...it was his own insecurity shining through.
"There are two things you seem to know little about," I told him on the day I left the job, "construction and weight control."
Anyway...I tossed in a few other things and was able to tell my boss off as one would in the movies. Unfortunately, some people have to eat a lot of shit from a bunch of real power-hungry idiots.
Thankfully my two bosses now are great.
I answer to a smart, funny man at work. He was a friend of mine long before the working arrangement was established. We have never had a cross word in 20 years of knowing one another.
And then there is the boss at home...she certainly seems to respect the job I'm doing. So all good.
My advice?
Same advice my father gave all of us:
"Don't take no shit from nobody."
Maybe not grammatically correct, but you get the message.
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