Is Your Boss Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde Today?

Ever have an exceptionally moody boss? You never know if the “good boss” or the “evil boss” is going to show up for work – will it be Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde today? Here’s how one person learned to deal with the issue: If there was a problem at work that needed the attention of the moody boss, this person would add that to a running list of issues he needed help with, then take it to the weekly staff meeting. Being very careful to never sit next to the moody boss, he had a chance to observe how the boss treated others as discussions went from person to person around the table during the staff meeting. After the boss had talked to two or three other staff members during the meeting, this person could accurately gauge the mood of the boss. If he was in a bad mood, he would keep the list to himself and save it for another day. If he was in a good mood, he would try to get the boss to address as many issues as possible in that meeting. The problem was, this employee sometimes had to hold his list for 5 of 6 weeks at a time until the boss’ mood was right. This often led to a delay in resolving some important issues. The good news is that the employee rarely, if ever, got ripped into. A Yiddish proverb states, “If you act like an ass, don’t get insulted if people ride you like one.” Consistency doesn’t come natural to everyone. In fact, nobody is consistently consistent. Aldous Huxley once said, “Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to human life. The only completely consistent people are the dead.” If you want to be the kind of leader others want to follow, then you’ll have plan and fight to be consistent. This will help you to be seen by others as approachable. Even if you care for people, are honest with them, and can perform your job well, people will not depend on you and will not trust you unless you are consistent and committed. People admire people who exhibit great commitment. Think of some of the great leaders you admire. When I think of those I admire one of the first qualities that comes to my mind is their commitment - commitment to their cause and commitment to their principles. They’ve given everything they have to leading according to their principles. One of the greatest challenges is to lead without a leadership position. Consistency and commitment increase our ability to lead others, even if we are not in the leadership position. And at its purest form, that’s what true leadership is – influence – nothing more, nothing less. The whole secret is to think influence and not position. Do you desire to become a more consistent and committed leader? Truth@Life can help. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@truthatlife.com for a FREE consultation. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/