Lunch with the Boss

It's odd isn't it? The type of role our bosses play in our lives. Essentially, when it comes down to it, our livelihood is dependent upon them. They write us a check every month...every other Friday...or if you're lucky, once a week. And they keep an eye on things...right? That's what a boss is supposed to do...keep an eye on things. Some bosses are better at, well, bossing than others. A horrible job is often times more about the environment in which we work (ie horrible superiors) than it is about the minutae of tasks we accomplish on a day to day basis. I'm lucky enough to have some really great bosses, but the point of this isn't to break down what makes a great ruler. Rather, I find it notable to point out the sometimes overlooked significance of "The Boss-Man."

Some of us are probably more affected by this than others...but what is so powerful about the big head honcho--sitting behind his big walnut desk, encased in a glass tower of power, driving his shiny black stallion--is where the real significance lies--it is in how he sees you.

Does he think you are a good employee? Do you do your job well? For those of us who find some small amount of self-value in our work, then getting magnanimous feedback as to our worthiness can be a deal-breaker. Isn't the anxiety we deal with--juggling both the home life and the desire to make our superiors happy--why some people become their own boss?

Ah the pipe dream of self-employment. Late to work? No big deal...you'll make up for it. Just closed the biggest sale of your career? Fantastic...take yourself out to Le Chateu for a kicking filet and a bottle of red. We're our worst critics and our biggest fans. We can handle our own self-debasing lectures better than we can cope with a gentle tap on the wrist from the big guy. And when it comes to reward, praise is doled out in mass proportions when we're tapping ourselves on the back.

Here's to those of us who are lucky enough to wake up every day free from the dread of a horrible job. We all have a boss in one way or another whether it is a group of mind-numbing students, the chief, la professora, yours truly or the like. My hope for you, dear Reader, is that regardless of who you answer to, the sound of the alarm in the morning and the daily grind itself a is bearable animal to tackle each week.