So many wounded humans masked as bosses…
I came across a #bossmanagement thread on LinkedIn by a Nigerian male supervisor, listing opinions on how a junior colleague keeps the boss happy and catered to with acknowledgement, respect, sensitivity to their needs, taking caution in reading moods and other deifying directives.I went on reading against my better judgement, I guess I was hoping to find some sanity and not only the horror! I was in stupefied pain all through. Like, how? why? Make this make sense please!The listed needs above are basic for all humans and are actions of empathy that are not exclusive to bosses. Why is it expected that a junior colleague takes to reading a boss’s mood while the boss is blind to theirs?Are moods only experienced by bosses?If the junior colleague is encouraged to leave their mind-boggling issues at home,why is it ok for the boss to wear theirs like a cape and even cause others psychological harm as a result of it?
In one of his “advices” he asked the junior colleague to deal with a boss the way a teacher deals with a child. At this point I was done. What?! Why are you comparing a boss who is a fully grown human with rational sensibilities to a child who does not understand much and therefore must be met at level of simple thinking, guided and built up by a teacher; in this case, a junior colleague? Are you suggesting that the junior colleague fills the role of a parent/teacher who is more intelligent and saddled with an unintelligent and irrational child/boss? Is he really saying that he is in support of the roles being reversed as a result of the junior colleague having more sensibilities and capabilities to handle a complex and finite minded boss since all the boss really wants to do is be managed, while he/she sucks on his/her thumb of insecurities and inflated ego?
Who died and made a boss a god?What is this slavery organizations have allowed its senior staff perpetuate in the name of having more experience/receiving larger salaries?Why is boss management now tantamount to ensuring that a boss is parented by a junior colleague? Why are innocent staff who just want to do an amazing job and go home have to cross oceans and climb mountains to do this? Why? Why can’t a harmonious culture of mutual respect and meritocracy play?
Its time Human Capital Management of companies pay close attention to the qualitative self reality of staff, especially those who are in positions of leadership. Most of these people are wounded psychologically and are sharing the hurt and pain around unapologetically. Their self worth is in tatters and they can’t imagine another person happy and chirpy especially a junior colleague without wanting to cut the joy shut just because they are senior! Its not farfetched that they were unfortunately cowered into worshipping their own bosses (I feel bad for them, I do) and they think they must get the same treatment from their junior colleagues. If they can’t right the wrong, the Human Capital Management of the organisation who hired both the boss and junior colleague must do this! They must.
This is the major reason so many companies are stuck and can’t explain how they hire talented staff and they don’t see results! It is because the staff who are bosses, are more interested in personal alligience and how a junior colleague makes them feel, than how the actual goals of the enterprise are achieved and surpassed.
So you choose, a ground for goals or a ground for foes?
