What kind of a boss do you have in your workplace? Is it one who is hungry and thirsty to be understood, to be heard, respected and valued but not able to reciprocate with the same virtues?
Do you have a boss who often preys upon your faults but fails to recognise and praise you for your talents and potential? Is it the type who won’t think twice before cutting you down with cruel and intimidating words, one who delights in words that bury your dreams, demolish your self-esteem and destroy your potential?
We often hear employees complain about a boss who is insensitive to other people’s needs, one who fails to understand and offer hope and possibilities to elevate his or her juniors. This is the sort who has a strong desire to exploit others, to outsmart them for his benefit. For this kind, the primary need is control over others, exercise of power and manipulation by putting others under obligation. They think that everyone in the workplace acts their way and so what counts for them is to do it more efficiently than the rest with an impure motive.
This kind of boss, being hard hearted, thinks “why should I care – let others care for themselves”. Often this type is ever alert and keen to berate juniors and will go out of their way to criticize just to prove they are perfect and trustworthy.
These are the most dangerous bosses because they feel they are strong, honest and realistic, which is true only if you look at things in their narrow and superficial way. They believe their estimation of their self worth is strictly logical. To them ruthlessness is strength, lack of concern for other people’s feelings, pursuit of their own ends, their kingdom of selfishness and power.
They are flammable; the negative power within them could explode and destroy instead of stimulating their juniors, resulting in damaged relationships. They even affect the company’s mission statements with their deep, hidden dangerous agendas because they focus on bringing others down.
Given their destructive attitude, one would want to know something of their social background. You will realize their need for detachment. Their sense of superiority expresses itself in their feeling of their own uniqueness. Self sufficiency and privacy both serve their most outstanding need ÔÇô the need for the utmost independence.
Their need for privacy is like a person in a hotel room who rarely removes the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign from his door. Even books in the room may be regarded as intruders, as something from outside. They don’t even believe in God because they fear they will be exposed by God’s corrections.
Arrogance is also found in them; they take pleasure in an occasional evening with a few friends but dislike general gregariousness and social functions. Even their tendency to restrict their eating, drinking and living habits is done with an impure motive, arrogance and uniqueness. They cannot stimulate or motivate anyone because they do everything with an impure motive. That’s where they are caught, by their fruits. They don’t inspire, rather they destroy. No one would want to be like them.
If you have a boss who haunts you, remember the column before Easter holidays headlined ‘Your response counts.’ Maybe you don’t know how you are supposed to keep working with this boss. You ask yourself how long it will be until they retire.
If you are faced with this situation, I encourage you to be driven by values, not feelings. Be responsible and make things happen for the company’s objectives and don’t blame the circumstances. Gather your inner positive personal strength towards progress, growth and positive future for your workplace. Eventually you will stimulate others, doing what your boss is failing to do and you will be respected and valued.
For the boss lady or sir of this attitude, I will encourage them to learn to be humble and strive to build their inner self because their attitudes are from deep inner personal conflicts. Thorough self assessment is needed by someone’s boss here, so that we don’t affect the company’s progress.
The word of God also invites us all saying; “Come to Me, all you who are labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. (Matthew 11:28-30).
