Up & About: Meet the Boss

In this number, we will be referring to all sorts of meetings with the bosses and the different types of bosses you are likely to encounter. We are, of course, referring to bosses that are in your possession and that belong to the organization you work in and not bosses that you might meet for interviews, might encounter at seminars, beer, golfing or other similar activities.

 

Certainly, one of the most enchanting things that can actually happen in the morning is to have a meeting with the boss. This will preferably happen before you've had the time to drink your coffee, something that will find you with the nerves up your pockets, ready to be thrown in your boss' face on any annoying occasion. The nice, approachable boss will already irritate you with his happy attitude in the morning. With some agitated, dancing 80s tune on his stereo and a large smile on his face, he will motion you to the sit in front of his desk and try to convince you to have a cup of coffee. The problem is that the boss' coffee is always the most horrible bucket of liquid you may have ever tasted. It is never strong enough; occasionally it has some funny tastes because of the different aromas that are put inside. Never have you ever had a decent coffee from your boss. This is not the morning you are going to have one, either.

 

The news generally ranges from bad to terrible, going through very bad. The bad level is usually a swell project he may have thought of over the evening and that you, as a trusted, capacitated individual are going to help so much with that you are practically doing it yourself. The very bad means that the project itself looks small, but, in fact, in order to complete it you need to complete ten other projects, alone or with team members that will never help, but more likely be in the way.  The terrible level obviously means that you are fired and have one hour to clear your office. Don't think too much about that alternative.

 

The not so nice boss will exhibit the same three levels, just that his music will be somewhere around Chopin (who listens to Chopin in the morning?!), his tone in-between  Meat Loaf's Back into Hell and some Heavy Metal new band and his general attitude more towards negativism and negative motivation than anything else.

 

Have you finished your coffee?  Certainly, it's bad, but you can never actually refuse the boss . . .   

 

Move back into your office.