Cultural Heritage Matters

Being a boss has been one of the more peculiar aspects to my job.

Some of that peculiarity stems from my not having been a boss before, but after 2.5 years into this experiment, I’ve learned a few things.  I’ve learned that I’m not a visionary or an authoritarian – two things I originally thought were required to be a boss.

I knew before I became a boss that I didn’t have those qualities, but I believed I might develop them once I was at the helm. It was a bleak stretch of time for me when I saw it wasn’t going to happen. I tried to at times, but the result was clumsy and ineffective. I think others could see that as well.

But I’m good at some things I believe to be more important than being the visionary or the driver. I understand and am sensitive to what those in my charge need to do their jobs. I understand that a lot more is going to get done if I surround myself with people who know more than I do. I understand about getting the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus. I understand that the workplace is a healthier, happier, and more productive environment if I simply give people what they need and then get out of their way.

I also understand there is little point in trying to fix the chinks in my armor. That it’s a lot of energy invested for not much return.  Instead, I try to spend my efforts in maximizing my strengths.

That’s what this boss has to offer.

This entry was posted on May 16, 2009 at 6:48 pm and is filed under Uncategorized with tags management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.