Picky Bosses
A conversation the other day with a friend turned to the topic of employees and how hard it is to get good people to build a team. Drawing from my years in corporate America, I certainly understand. Some would say my friend is too particular and hard to work for. Some have said the same thing about me. An administrative assistant who did work for me but didn’t report to me once said she didn’t think she could work for me. I wasn’t flattered, and I figure we would have worked just fine together, but it does say something about personalities and success.
I explained to my friend that we are both harder to work for than the norm because we are picky. Being picky isn’t wrong or bad. It is usually what sets the successful and effective apart from the pack. But there is a big difference between picky and insulting.
A TV show yesterday featuring an overbearing employer who was picky about everything and hurled insults at everyone who didn’t meet his standards reminded me of the Steve Jobs biography. Despite of all his success and impact on the world, I would not have wanted to with him as his boss or subordinate.
While being particular is a definite key to success, respecting and appreciating others is much more important. No matter what we are doing, we can’t just be in it for material gain. There is other gain beyond this world.
from my notebook 