Quite Possibly The Craziest Statement I Have Ever Heard
December 20th, 2007
Are you an employee at a company? Any company?
How do you know if you are a person who needs a boss?
I was eating lunch with a friend the other day and we were having a discussion about his career and the drama that can sometimes occur in the corporate workplace. He was lamenting about the fact that his vacation was over and he knew that he was going to walk into a firestorm on Friday (when he returned from vacation).
Specifically, one of his employees had received a less than favorable year-end review and the person on the receiving end of the review was not prepared for the lackluster work performance appraisal that had been laid out before them.
Our discussion continued throughout lunch about the corporate world and we talked about not only the negative aspects, but also the many positive aspects that employment within a company can bring.
However, during our dialogue it was becoming quite clear (to me at least) that now would probably be a good time for my friend to move on from this job. Fear is what is holding him back because he is a very well educated person and he has a tremendous amount of talent in his particular field.
So, while eating I threw it out for discussion that he should just leave his present job and start his own company. The response I got almost knocked me off of my chair.
He said, “I would love to start my own company but truthfully I need a boss.”
“What?” I said. “You need a boss?” For me this statement was beyond comprehension.
It was at that moment that I realized, contrary to my belief, not everybody wants to be self-employed, or an entrepreneur.
I could not fathom this line of thought. Really, I was shocked at his statement.
In all fairness, I have had many bosses, some good and some bad, and I might have a boss again someday if the right opportunity arises. Nevertheless, I can’t fathom actually thinking, “I need a boss.” Because his need to have a boss was such a foreign concept to my way of thinking I tried to come up with a creative list to help me understand how people actually discern that they need a boss.
I must say creating the “how do you discern that you need a boss list” was much harder to write than I had imagined.
Below is what I have come up with thus far:
· You crave structure
· You enjoy working in a team environment and reporting to you superiors
· You like the safety net of knowing there is someone else who is ultimately responsible
Surely there must be more ways to determine if you need a boss…but I need some assistance.
How about you? Do you need a boss? What are the tell tale signs that you are a person who needs a boss?
Editor’s note: yesterday my jump drive crashed and I lost about 70 post ideas (working titles) that I had stored on there so my publishing calendar might be askew for a week or so as I try to rebuild.
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December 20th, 2007 at 7:24 am
Mark:
All I can list are the reasons that I want to be my own boss, which might be the reasons that people don’t want to be their own boss.
1. I want to achieve an unrealistic dream.
2. I have some money to invest my own business
3. I don’t want to get laid off when I am getting old.
4. I hate 8-5 day jobs.
5. I want to have control of my life and my future.
6. I don’t want to rely on someone to save my retire fund.
7. I want to have a better and richer life so I can do whatever I want.
Personally, I think that people who needs a boss are lacking confidence. They are so used to being treated as a green house plant.
They expect to get help from others, when they are hopeless.
That’s just my 2 cents.
December 20th, 2007 at 7:27 am
Mark:
Sorry to hear that you lost your post topics. Looks like you are really into the editorial calendar that Maki post a while back.
Can’t wait to see your new post. Keep it coming.
December 20th, 2007 at 8:10 am
Terence - that list is GREAT! And quite inspirational.
December 20th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Hi Mark - I think it’s important to be clear about the concept of a “boss.” If you are an entrepreneur, then every client is really your boss, so being an entrepreneur doesn’t escape that aspect. (And if someone doesn’t see it that way, then a rude awakening is imminent :) ).
I see your point though. The way your friend said it, sounds like he wants someone to tell him what to do. Not exactly a position I would recommend to people, but at least he’s being honest!
December 20th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Al - very good point indeed! Trust me, I know that my clients are ultimately my boss…
But, it is the fact that I am in charge of my destiny and not some middle manager :)
December 20th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Another thing that might indicate you need a boss. You are naturally gifted in some area, but taking becoming self-employed would actually diminish your ability to maximize your talent because you’d be weighed down with things that are not your super skill.
On this wise, Terence, I disagree with your comment, “people who needs a boss are lacking confidence”.
I know several people who are highly skilled nurses and doctors who do not lack confidence, but do NEED a boss/manager. The reason why they can be so good at what they do is because they can focus on their specific job activities while their boss can focus on arranging their talents, patients, schedules, etc, to get the best results. That’s what he does best. I suspect there are many cases where this type of thing would also be true.
Besides, if you can honestly look in yourself and then reach out for help - despite the egocentric “I don’t need anybody” crap - isn’t that a confident move?
However, I think that now more than ever, there is huge demand for true leaders, and competent bosses. (Especially with the baby-boomers retiring, many who hold influential and higher ranking positions).
On a more philosophical note, it’d be a bad idea if we were all our own bosses. Think of how the division of labor has assisted mankind to progress. If we all had to develop business skills, web savvy (whatever skills an entrepreneur needs), and some specialty, I think many of us wouldn’t reach our potential.
What do you guys think?
December 21st, 2007 at 2:52 am
Bart - you make some very valid points!
December 22nd, 2007 at 8:34 am
“Editor’s note: yesterday my jump drive crashed and I lost about 70 post ideas (working titles) that I had stored on there so my publishing calendar might be askew for a week or so as I try to rebuild.”
Here’s a tip:
I use Drupal for blogging so I’m not sure about this in Wordpress. But it likely has a not published feature for drafts.
I have my huge idea list saved as a non published draft in my site. That way my ideas are tied into the site itself and part of my website backup solution. Which if your not doing you should should be backing up your site regularily.
In regards to bosses. I think Bart had some good comments. As an entrepaneur you you have to wear many more hats than as an employee.
I live down in Venezuela and I’m from the States. I just signed up for your blog feed. Thanks.
December 22nd, 2007 at 9:57 am
Sean - thank you for stopping by and for the tip about Drupal!!
WordPress lets you store drafts but my own laziness finally caught up. I was supposed to transfer my draft posts (and back them up) months ago :)