The Boss Is Always Right

The Boss is Always Right

In many places of work, there is only one rule – “The Boss is Always Right” or “The Boss is Never Wrong”. What if we know that the Boss is wrong? Well, simple ... refer back to the rule. All around us, we see and hear of double standards and inequality. The recent case of celebrity heiress Paris Hilton being released after three days in Los Angeles jail sparked fierce debates on the seemingly unequal treatment for the rich and famous. While we belong to that lot of people who were neither happy nor sad that she had to serve her remaining term of sentence, we were unduly perturbed by the fact that citizens did not enjoy equal rights to fair play and justice. The questions to ask are whether an ordinary woman who commits the same offense would face similar punishment, and whether the Sheriff would likewise order an early release. In all likelihood, the answers to both questions - “No”. Story:

The Animals and the Plague

(Illus by Milo Winter)

Once upon a time a severe plague raged among the animals. Many died, and those who lived were so ill, that they cared for neither food nor drink, and dragged themselves about listlessly. No longer could a fat young hen tempt Master Fox to dinner, nor a tender lamb rouse greedy Sir Wolf's appetite. At last the Lion decided to call a council. When all the animals were gathered together he arose and said: "Dear friends, I believe the gods have sent this plague upon us as a punishment for our sins. Therefore, the most guilty one of us must be offered in sacrifice. Perhaps we may thus obtain forgiveness and cure for all. "I will confess all my sins first. I admit that I have been very greedy and have devoured many sheep. They had done me no harm. I have eaten goats and bulls and stags. To tell the truth,

I even ate up a shepherd now and then. "Now, if I am the most guilty, I am ready to be sacrificed. But I think it best that each one confess his sins as I have done. Then we can decide in all justice who is the most guilty." "Your majesty," said the Fox, "you are too good. Can it be a crime to eat sheep, such stupid mutton heads? No, no, your majesty. You have done them great honor by eating them up. "And so far as shepherds are concerned, we all know they belong to that puny race that pretends to be our masters." All the animals applauded the Fox loudly. Then, though the Tiger, the Bear, the Wolf, and all the savage beasts recited the most wicked deeds, all were excused and made to appear very saint-like and innocent. It was now the Ass's turn to confess. "I remember," he said guiltily, "that one day as I was passing a field belonging to some priests, I was so tempted by the tender grass and my hunger, that I could not resist nibbling a bit of it. I had no right to do it, I admit—" A great uproar among the beasts interrupted him. Here was the culprit who had brought misfortune on all of them! What a horrible crime it was to eat grass that belonged to someone else! It was enough to hang anyone for, much more an Ass. Immediately they all fell upon him, the Wolf in the lead, and soon had made an end to him, sacrificing him to the gods then and there, and without the formality of an altar. Moral:

The weak are made to suffer for the misdeeds of the powerful. Quotable Quotes: “One's belief that one is sincere is not so dangerous as one's conviction that one is right. We all feel we are right; but we felt the same twenty years ago and today we know we weren't always right.” ... Igor Stravinsky “Even the frankest and bravest of subordinates do not talk with their boss the same way they talk with colleagues.” ... Robert Greenleaf “Of one thing be certain: if a CEO is enthused about a particularly foolish acquisition, both his internal staff and his outside advisors will come up with whatever projections are needed to justify his stance. Only in fairy tales are emperors told that they are naked.” ... Warren Buffett “The kinds of people we employ are not afraid of taking risks. If someone mucks up, they don't get a bollocking from me. They know they've mucked up and they redouble their efforts.” ... Richard Branson “Executives can get away with having a clean desk. For the rest of us, it looks like you're not working hard enough.” ... Scott Adams “If this is justice, I am a banana.” ... Ian Hislop [browse collection of quotes and quotations] Lessons in life: Those who have read the book “Animal Farm” by George Orwell will be familiar with the initial commandment that the animals

enacted after they chased out the humans from the farm “All animals are equal.” As time passed and the pigs (who were their leaders) learned the human ways of life, this commandment evolved into “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Perhaps we humans started out with that innocent belief too, when we first crafted the constitution. Over the years, we have hit reality i.e., that there will always be a group of humans - those with power and authority, wealth and fame – who are “more equal” than the rest of us. The same sort of preferential treatment is played out in office. Bosses can have personal chats on their mobile phones for hours, but all eyes are on the workers if their phones ring. Bosses arrive late, leave early and take long lunch breaks, but workers have to watch the clock. When Bosses make mistakes, they frame them as the company's mistakes. When workers make the same mistakes, their careers are on the line. It can be argued that these bosses and managers have earned their rights to be treated differently. However, isn't it also true that their remuneration and incentive package would have taken care of these perks and benefits? Here, when we speak of favoritism and preferential treatment, we are referring to things that are done outside of these contracts, the unwritten and unspoken words. Should we then not tell the Boss when he is doing something really wrong? The approach is important. Telling the Boss outright and backing your claims with well-researched and well-documented proof is a Career Suicide. It only shows that you have been planning this assault for some time and no boss will take that kindly. What you should do:-

1. Wait for the opportune moment Just as there are stormy days and fair days, human moods change. Have a 'weather-check' of the Boss with his secretary or personal assistant. Also, even dictatorial leaders will sometimes ask for opinions or suggestions, just to be seen as being open even though their minds may be sealed and locked. Take this chance to highlight your concerns. 2. Be tactful in your speech No matter how serious the fault is, never reprimand your Boss. Give him a face-saving exit. For instance, words like “Boss, your idea is great and will certainly boost our bottom-line. I am wondering if you had a chance to look at our report on what our competitors had come up with. That report was on your desk last month, but we admit that on hindsight we should have arranged to brief you on the numbers and sources.” Quite obviously, it is a slap on his face for not reading the report, but put it in this manner, it gives him an opportunity to blame his tight schedule for not being able to pore through the complex figures in the report. 3. Give actionable suggestions A bulk of the time, we criticize for the sake of criticizing. Any negative feedback that contains no suggested actions to remedy a situation is as good as a scolding. Do that to a Boss and you can be punished for insubordination. Throw in some workable solutions, let the Boss stamp his authority by deciding on which approach to take. His pride in thinking that he made a decision to curb a crisis will override any unpleasant feeling he might have against you for raising a negative feedback. 4. Stay clear of emotions and personal attacks

If you are angry about something, scream at your home pillow and lash out at the bathroom mirror. When you report to work, do not bring these emotions along with you. Be calm and factual when you speak to Bosses about mistakes they have made. Avoid using unnecessary adverbs and adjectives like “very grave mistake”, “absolutely ridiculous”, “utterly unthinkable”. If you sense that the issue is getting hot, find an excuse to postpone the meeting and give each other a cooling-off period. 5. Praise publicly but blame privately Any situation that is unpleasant should be discussed in private. 6. Report to Boss's boss There is a natural inclination to bring the matter to the top, the Boss's boss. Unless it is a fraud that you have uncovered and you are prepared to look for another job, you should be slow to climb over the Boss's head. While the CEOs, executives and chairman at the helm often leave their doors open for any sort of feedback, chances are they will be understanding to people in their 'inner circles'. Afterall, word will spread and a reputation for taking drastic disciplinary actions may jeopardize their own career. As well, by taking any action, they are admitting that they have failed in their supervisory duties over your Boss, something which will again look bad in their own resumes. Finally, to survive in a work environment, always bear this in mind - “We are right, but the Boss is always righter.” Related Articles: Bosses who want their way Autocrats, dictators, and dominant bosses Learn the Art of Saying NO

Conflict Resolution at Work My Boss is an Idiot Books worth reading: It is not just bosses who we have to contend with but anybody from office, home, streets and the internet. Difficult people are lurking everywhere and Drs. Rick Brinkman and Rick Kirschner have the creative solutions in their book Dealing with People You Can't Stand: How to Bring Out the Best in People at Their Worst , which you can adopt to improve your communication skills in the most difficult situations. Crucial Confrontations is a well-researched bestselling book on the skills that are needed to resolve touchy, controversial, and complex issues at work and at home.