Who Was Your Worst Boss?

I was asked recently how many bad bosses have I had.  Only one comes to mind quickly over a 25 year career!  However, as I reflected more on what was so “bad”about him, I realized what he was pushing me to do was actually beneficial for me but I could not see it at the time.

What my boss (in Germany at the time) wanted me to do was spend a little more time connecting with others in the office.  To me, he wanted me to “waste” my time socializing when I was there to do a “job”.  To him, he was pushing me to connect to the others at a deeper level as I was the only American in the group and the others were all Germans that had worked together for some time.  When we are pushed out of our comfort zone or routine, we immediately tend to jump to the conclusion that the person pushing us is the enemy.  I was quite feisty back then and thought I knew it all so I was a bit indignant with him and labeled him as a “terrible” boss.

Well, fast forward many years…  now I can see that what he was asking me to do was to take off my “office” mask and let people really get to know me… especially those I would be working with day in and day out and who would be there to support me as we all worked toward common goals.  To me, it was “wasting” time.  To him, it was asking me to be authentic and let my true self shine.

Everyone who comes into our life comes in for a purpose.  Our responsibility is to let them teach us something and experience what they have to offer.  We all have different gifts and talents.  So when you believe your boss is the worst one you ever had… just take a minute to reflect on what their talents are that got them to where they are and how can you open up and learn from them.  When they push you out of your comfort zone… I ask you to take a breath and not shut them down like I did… you may not see it at the time, but I guarantee you it will pay off somehow in the future!