Resumo de The Many Traits And Tricks Of The Bosses

The many traits and tricks of the bosses

A BOSS is a boss with or without gloss. Young or old, male or female, right or wrong, the boss always wins the toss. No one can dare to be cross with the boss nor venture to cross the boss. If you are cross with the boss, you will always be at a loss. If you cross the boss he will cross your way to the top.

Facing the boss is an unavoidable everyday, anytime event which hovers menacingly overhead, explodes any moment without notice and sends you home sullen and sad, loaded with a balloon of venom which bursts in the face of your spouse and kids. However, the boss is seen to mellow down in case of female employees for reasons best known only to the boss!

Dictionaries say that the boss is a person who is in charge. The ?charge? of the in charge can range from politics to servitude. In a secondary sense, ?boss? also means a ?round knob? which turns either way according to the twist applied by the mood prevailing on a particular occasion. The presence of the boss can only be perceived by certain traits which he is supposed to possess, develop, exploit, exhibit and delegate to maintain his ?boss-hood? and ensure his continuity as a boss. Some of these traits are outlandish, nevertheless, they give the boss an edge over others and make him an imitable ideal for his subordinates. Let us enumerate a few common traits and the applicable tricks.

ADAPTABILITY: ?I dance to the tune that is played? (Spanish proverb). Adaptability means adjusting to changed circumstances. An art in which all exploiters are adept ? be they politicians, feudals, bureaucrats, capitalists or clerics. It is practiced by every worker of a political party (religious or secular); by every member of a social organization; every employee of a governmental or non-governmental setup and every boss of an industrial, commercial or financial organization.

The corresponding skill required for this is cleverness ? an attribute which is inborn, acquired by opportunists and novices, and cultivated by egoistic tycoons. The trait of adaptability and its rasp ?cleverness? is the favourite implement of politicians and businessmen. While politicians are known for their somersaults depending on the beauty of the bounty offered by horse traders, the business community is more versatile and dexterous in adjusting their products, prices and personality to the demands of the prevailing situation.

ASSERTIVE: Every boss is chair compelled to be assertive. Which simply means ?stubborn?. There seems to be a direct relationship between the occupational psychology imparted by the chair placed behind a huge shining table and the performance expected from the position so occupied. Even an iota of ignorance of the subject under discussion or the slightest show of indecision can reflect adversely on the boss-hood of the boss who is thus compelled to behave like the king ? because the king can do no wrong. And if he has unwittingly erred, the boss conveniently shifts the blame to others just as all our succeeding rulers do. Alternatively, the boss exercises the only available option as a face saving device: sweep all flaws and follies under the carpet just as our ministers do.

DOMINANT: Is there a boss who is not dominant? Not one. Being dominant seems to be the birthright of every boss. In fact, his very position as a boss exudes an aura of dominance about him, irrespective of his physical or mental status. If in doubt, just look around and notice how our rulers, politicians, bureaucrats, tycoons behave when they are in power and compare their amicable and amiable approach when they have fallen from grace!

To look or not to look dominant is not the question. It is the innate desire of every boss to impose on his subordinates his thinking and his views through his position of influence. His conviction in the righteousness of his line of action is all the more reinforced by the covert fear of miscarriage of his impression of ?boss-hood? in case he emanates a congenial look. Another advantage of a dominant look is that it elicits a quick, positive response to satisfy the boss.

AMBITIOUS: Is there a soul so dead as not to have any ambition at all? Not that I know of. The boss of any organization desires to see his brand of principles, percepts and products patronized by people both within and outside his setup. His plan to achieve this objective is based on the assumption that ?A slave has but one master; an ambitious man has as many masters as there are people who may be useful in bettering his position? (La Bryyere, Characters).

The boss is very choosy in selecting people who can ?better his position?. Critics and criticism run contrary to his ambitions and are kept at bay. Skeptics and skepticism cause setbacks. All you have to do to remain in his good books and euologise his every move, quite oblivious of the fact that ?most people would succeed in small things if they are not troubled with great ambitions? (Longfellow, Table Talk).

There are a number other traits like dependability, persistence, tolerance, self-confidence, etc, all of which are manipulated one way or the other to acquire bosshood and retain it.

TAIL PIECE: Don?t be a yes-man; when the boss says ?No?, you say ?No? too.

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