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It’s time for a bad boss revolution!

Guest post by: Sylvia Lafair

Article Overview: Are you in a leadership position at work? Are you feeling pressure to be a perfect boss? Is your confidence in the toilet? Are you second guessing your decisions? Are you glad that Dominos delivers so you don't have to leave your office for lunch or bother your admin (who you just KNOW thinks you are a major jerk)? I've scoured the web and just want you to know that you are not alone. Almost everyone, at every company around the world thinks they have a variation of the worst bully boss on the planet. Not feeling any better?

It’s time for a bad boss revolution!

Are you in a leadership position at work? Are you feeling pressure to be a perfect boss? Is your confidence in the toilet? Are you second guessing your decisions? Are you glad that Dominos delivers so you don't have to leave your office for lunch or bother your admin (who you just KNOW thinks you are a major jerk)?

I've scoured the web and just want you to know that you are not alone. Almost everyone, at every company around the world thinks they have a variation of the worst bully boss on the planet. Not feeling any better?

There is an epidemic, a surge of sites where employees can rag on how bad there boss is. Then they get tons of support that they should go to Human Resources and complain, get a good lawyer or do the obvious and quit.

Now with the economy still sour many are staying in jobs and simply complaining. They complain to their cube mates, they complain to their spouses, their lovers. They complain to their next door neighbors, and they complain on the web.

And in my consulting practice I notice that bosses are taking it on the chin. They are feeling inadequate, like a parent who can't make "the kids" happy. And guess what! That is exactly part of the problem.

We have created an environment where we want, no, cross that out, expect our parents, our bosses, our leaders, to be picture perfect. Think about it. Leader bashing is a media sport. Monday morning quarterbacking is about what did not work, what should have been done better, and once in a while is about a good touchdown, good solution.

Glenn Beck makes a ton of money talking about what is not working in the world of leaders/bosses. Jon Stewart is cuter and funnier, yet, still boss/leader bashing is what gets the laughs.

We are addicted to what is not working!!!!

One of my most respected clients, a man who has graced the cover of national business magazines has finally let the anxiety hit him in the gut. He is a good boss, I mean a really good boss. He cares about his employees. He listens to his senior leadership team. He wakes up at 3 A.M. to jot down ideas for creative collaboration, for new ways of working together, for uplifting messages to send via the intranet.

Yet, he had to stop one of his senior leaders from sabotaging a new campaign. He had to stop the back biting and jealousy that erupted when this woman was not seen as the golden one who made it all happen. Once she was called to task she became brilliantly vindictive, using social media and innuendo to spell out the dissention in the company.

Her campaign was working. He became the newest bully boss in the industry. He would not; nor really could not respond. Yet, staying above the fray got him in the gut.

One cultural pattern that needs to be scrutinized is left over from the industrial era when labor and management were at logger heads. Unions grew out of the mismanagement and lack of fairness that occurred in many companies. Workers fought for their rights and unions were born. That was good, healthy stuff.

And, yes, today there are many rotten bosses who have used their lofty platforms to become rich fat cats with little regard for their employees. Just think "Wall Street" and its sequel "Wall Street Money Never Sleeps".

However, the boss bashing that is going on now is over the top. My contention and a premise in "Don't Bring It to Work" is that all too often we put our unfinished upset with our parents for not being perfect on our bosses and seem to forget the boss is not our mother or father.

Perhaps it is time to look this epidemic in the eye and learn about the power of projection, of putting our old disappointment on the man or woman who is now the authority figure in our lives. We will all be better off in more mature relationships at work. The only one who may suffer is Domino's for the drop in lunch hour delivery!

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Article Tags: boss, bully, confidence, decisions, leadership position



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Re: Money, money and mo money! - Good answer GT. Yes there is always a boss of one sort or another but as you say as an entrepreneur we can choose our boss. Every business has a certain amount of risk, but isn't that the case with everything in life. That is what makes it all so exciting. MichelleJ
Office gifts,help settle this one... - Ok- I wasn't sure where to post this, so I just stuck it in the forum I moderate. I think I've mentioned before that I work a full time job (outside of my home businesses), in a business financial brokerage. that being said, see if you can settle this one- Every year during December Holiday time, we receive gift baskets in the office from the banks/ Lenders we work with. My boss, although very generous all year long, will take most of the gift baskets home for he and his family. I'm talking a heck of a lot of gift baskets! My view on this is that when a gift basket is sent to an office, it should be enjoyed by everyone because we all work as a team equally as hard. We (the staff) believe that although most of the baskets are addressed to our boss, they are meant for "the office" because last year one of the lenders found out that my boss took it home (our office manager blew the whistle there) and the bank got upset and sent another one just for the staff! What is everyone's take on this, does he have the right to take it all home and "hog" the gift? If it happens again this year, should something be mentioned to him and if so, what/how?
Re: For all Women Entrepreneurs - Hi Carol Thanks for the welcome and I am sure with your dedication and perseverence that it wont be long before you can kiss your boss goodbye. Cheers for now Cyn [quote="Carol Aston":3bzehwm6]Hi Cyn, its great to see you in here, I know you will be a great asset to these forums. For those of you that don't know Cyn she is one of my Mentors in the Pips Power Group and has been a enormous help to me ( and a lot of others) since I started working online. I too will soon be working full time at my business and am looking forward to the same freedom that you have in not having to work for another boss. Take care, Carol[/quote:3bzehwm6]
I developed a personal tool - That's a great idea!. I'm not an Internet Marketing student or expert but the term "revolution" comes to my mind.
Internet Marketing - That's a great idea. I'm not an Internet Marketing student or expert but the term "revolution" comes to my mind.


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