Why Being Negative About the Boss Doesn't Work at Work
Let's talk a little about bosses and how often they're the target of criticism in the workplace. It's so easy for some of us to trash the boss. After all, some really are an easy target for negative comments and criticisms.
We could start with the simple nostrum: Don't be negative; be positive. How many times have you heard this? Everyone tells us to "be positive" at work. Negative thoughts kill; positive thoughts thrill.
Even us "realists" know there's truth in this. When I say "realists," I'm referring to those of us who eschew "positive thinking" as a kind of mindless, almost cult-like way of thinking and acting, preferring to deal with things as they are, rather than how we wish them to be, which "positive thinking" can boil down to many times.
But while we realists may prefer to avoid "positive thinking," we do need disciplined thinking, lest we simply become one of those "negative" sorts who always go around finding what's wrong with everything, with the inevitable carping and complaining that accompanies such thinking. And the way to discipline your thinking, while it may not be easy, is simple: seek the truth. When it comes to certain bosses, this can be a special challenge, but it's worth the effort.
For example, a while back we saw true leadership demonstrated by an American bishop. The actions of Bishop Paprocki were courageous, the actions of someone willing to put himself on the line to defend and promote our Catholic Faith. We who have waited for true leadership from our Bishops can rejoice. It would be easy to focus on the lack of leadership, with seemingly endless examples. But disciplining yourself to always seek the truth allows you to spot a good, happy example of true leadership as we've seen with this good bishop.
While it may be easy to "blame the bishops" for a lot of things that have gone wrong and continue to go wrong in our Holy Church, it takes some effort to spot the good. But it's worth the effort. In the same way, it's easy to blame the boss at work. Bosses get bad press, and frequently they deserve it. If you're in touch with your marketplace - for example if you're in sales - you may find your boss to be clueless about what's really going on "out there." He or she doesn't really know the customers; they just parrot the goals and objectives set by their boss or bosses, who sometimes seem to establish revenue and profit goals based simply on the desire to show a plan to increase revenue and profit to their bosses.
You could, of course, carp and complain about such a boss. But, really that doesn't work so well, does it? Besides the simple fact that offending the boss might not be a good career move, what do you gain by dumping on the guy or gal?
Instead, maybe you should try to understand the pressure under which the boss operates. Maybe he's got a boss who's out of touch and expects miracles without bothering to really understand what's really going on "out there." If you can see this, you'll at least gain some understanding of why your boss asks the impossible.
But there are also examples of good bosses. And frequently it only takes an open mind, meaning a mind open to the truth, to find these. OK, so the bad examples might tip the scales most of the time, but I'll be you can find some examples either now, or in your past, of good bosses who weren't just interested in advancing their careers, but had not only a realistic understanding of how to improve the bottom line, but also considered the well-being of their employees.
Balancing your understanding of why some bosses are so clueless, stupid or obnoxious, and your appreciation of those good bosses, you avoid getting mired in negative thinking with the resulting (and unattractive) carping and complaining that sometimes (or frequently) infects a business. You don't have to join the cult of the "positive thinkers." Just be open to the truth. Always. Everywhere. Under any and all circumstances.
We could start with the simple nostrum: Don't be negative; be positive. How many times have you heard this? Everyone tells us to "be positive" at work. Negative thoughts kill; positive thoughts thrill.
Even us "realists" know there's truth in this. When I say "realists," I'm referring to those of us who eschew "positive thinking" as a kind of mindless, almost cult-like way of thinking and acting, preferring to deal with things as they are, rather than how we wish them to be, which "positive thinking" can boil down to many times.
But while we realists may prefer to avoid "positive thinking," we do need disciplined thinking, lest we simply become one of those "negative" sorts who always go around finding what's wrong with everything, with the inevitable carping and complaining that accompanies such thinking. And the way to discipline your thinking, while it may not be easy, is simple: seek the truth. When it comes to certain bosses, this can be a special challenge, but it's worth the effort.
For example, a while back we saw true leadership demonstrated by an American bishop. The actions of Bishop Paprocki were courageous, the actions of someone willing to put himself on the line to defend and promote our Catholic Faith. We who have waited for true leadership from our Bishops can rejoice. It would be easy to focus on the lack of leadership, with seemingly endless examples. But disciplining yourself to always seek the truth allows you to spot a good, happy example of true leadership as we've seen with this good bishop.
While it may be easy to "blame the bishops" for a lot of things that have gone wrong and continue to go wrong in our Holy Church, it takes some effort to spot the good. But it's worth the effort. In the same way, it's easy to blame the boss at work. Bosses get bad press, and frequently they deserve it. If you're in touch with your marketplace - for example if you're in sales - you may find your boss to be clueless about what's really going on "out there." He or she doesn't really know the customers; they just parrot the goals and objectives set by their boss or bosses, who sometimes seem to establish revenue and profit goals based simply on the desire to show a plan to increase revenue and profit to their bosses.
You could, of course, carp and complain about such a boss. But, really that doesn't work so well, does it? Besides the simple fact that offending the boss might not be a good career move, what do you gain by dumping on the guy or gal?
Instead, maybe you should try to understand the pressure under which the boss operates. Maybe he's got a boss who's out of touch and expects miracles without bothering to really understand what's really going on "out there." If you can see this, you'll at least gain some understanding of why your boss asks the impossible.
But there are also examples of good bosses. And frequently it only takes an open mind, meaning a mind open to the truth, to find these. OK, so the bad examples might tip the scales most of the time, but I'll be you can find some examples either now, or in your past, of good bosses who weren't just interested in advancing their careers, but had not only a realistic understanding of how to improve the bottom line, but also considered the well-being of their employees.
Balancing your understanding of why some bosses are so clueless, stupid or obnoxious, and your appreciation of those good bosses, you avoid getting mired in negative thinking with the resulting (and unattractive) carping and complaining that sometimes (or frequently) infects a business. You don't have to join the cult of the "positive thinkers." Just be open to the truth. Always. Everywhere. Under any and all circumstances.
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