My post might be different from the rest because I have had a rather different experience with work zones, bosses, and company culture. Call it luck, but, I have never had a terrible boss. Not ever. Maybe it has always been because I had been overqualified for each role or maybe, it is luck.
My workplace added to me instead of subtracting
I have listened to other people talk about how terrible their bosses are and how toxic the work environment is to them. Every time I listen to conversations of this nature, I sincerely, can't relate. My workplaces had been peaceful ones. Instead of a toxic bosses, I always have ones who are concerned about my growth. I have always stepped out of an organization as a completely new person. Each time, a new personality is added to me, as everything my workplace did was train me for other different roles in the outside world.
Work to learn and not to earn
Probably, the reason I had a different work experience is that right before I started working for anyone, I had learned one thing from Robert Kiyosaki. The author of the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series. I learned at age 16, that I should work to learn, and not to earn. And when I turned 18, ready to join the workforce, I already had a map. A conscious ideal to bring to the table.
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For every office or boss I worked for, they find that I was open to learning all most everything, and they were happy to give me the lessons. They passed their experiences down to me, and I received them wholeheartedly. Do you always feel as though I fell from the sky? No, I didn't. It's has been years of training under different good bosses that have gotten me this far.
I have had female bosses and male ones, and each one left a good mark on me. Anytime I can apply any of the things they taught me, my heart often bleeds with gratitude. It had been a wonderful experience, and whenever I get the opportunity, I step into their offices to say, hello, talk about their businesses, and maybe, their personal lives.
I have always been a wanderer
I didn't get sacked in any of my jobs. At some points, when I felt I needed new things, new experiences, and new exposures, I tender my concerns. Once we've reached an understanding, I bid them farewell and move on. Don't get me wrong, I am a wanderer by heart, being stuck in one identity isn't my thing. I get easily bored if I stay on a path for too long. Once I feel my time is up, I take a bow. And I never regret any of those steps, I am always happy I followed my heart, for every journey going forward has often been complemented by my previous training.
Work, a growth process
Now, that I am talking about it, I feel, my entire work life had a process, each encounter with a new boss being a growth process. One that I needed to enhance the previous abilities, and sharpen my skill sets. Don't forget, the mindset I get into a job with, to learn, and not necessarily to earn. That mentality served me well, I must confess,
The prospect of making money has a way of clouding our reasoning. At any point, where you are concerned with earning money instead of learning, you'll find that you'll be dissatisfied, anxious, overly sensitive, and worked up. Somewhere in this curve, you will start thinking your colleagues are against you or your boss in this aspect. It's neither of them, it's you. For me, the amount I was paid didn't matter, I was committed to learning everything I can.
I got every dime back in different angles
Did I mention it served me? Yes, looking back, I realized, I did make more money than I would have been paid if I was obsessed with my salary then. The fact that I had undergone certain tranings made me qualified for certain roles that brought in more money than I expected. The universe gave me ample opportunities to use the various things I was taught to make other people's lives better and get paid for it.
Books, my map to the world
People are often amazed by how much I can do if I put my heart into it. Right here in Abuja, the small part that my friends know I can do, they are already calling me a wizard.
The thing is, I have a lot of stories to tell, and my experiences might differ from the next person because of one of the maps I had was books . I am that girl who practices almost everything she learns in a book. I like to bring the author's thoughts and intentions to reality. People ask me, "where do you come from"? In amusement, and I would answer, "I am from Mars, Jupiter, Pluto", or any planet that comes to my head at the moment. Yeah, I fell from the sky, I am from another planet... Lol
A minute of appreciation for all my bosses
To all my bosses, I appreciate everything you did for me, every skill, you instilled in me, I am grateful. I hope that in the future, I'll be able to make better use of all of them and make you proud. Thanks for everything.
Your bosses want value, give it to them
Did you know your bosses are not entirely bad? Yes, they are humans too, and somewhere behind the facade of bad bosses that they display, there is a tiny spot that you can win to your advantage. If your bosses are humans, that means they have human feelings, and concerns would melt their hearts too.
Every person who has decided to do away with early pleasure and start a business wants to make a profit. His entire life might be dependent on the profitability of that venture. The next time you are working for someone try to put yourself in their shoes, and see if you can find the answers to their agitations, and mood swings. Think of solutions to those things that make them grumpy, fix them, and watch the difference.
If you are contributing genuinely to the company's growth and success, there is no way, you will end up with a terrible boss. What you will get is a boss who is completely dependent on you. A boss who wouldn't want to imagine his office without you in it. A boss who wouldn't want to think of his business without your contribution.
Life is a give and take, when you keep waiting around, doing absolutely nothing of value to the company, but, expect to be paid by the end of the month, it annoys your boss. Lol. The moment he sends you your paycheck and the company isn't moving forward, his annoyance increases. He will start feeling as though he is paying for nothing. But when you are contributing, and the company is moving even though not as quickly as it should, at least, there is a clear indicator of growth, then, he will be happy to pay you.
Half-hearted work will be frowned upon, give of yourself, and let your boss know subtly that you are for the company and not against it. I don't know if I am making any sense. The company culture everyone is talking about, no one is telling us if they contributed anything of value to move the business forward or not. There are not telling us if they had come up with a single idea that would help the company beat their competitors in the game. No one. Maybe, someone did. They should tell me, and we'll look for other reasons, they ended up with terrible bosses.
You have a terrible boss because you have been a terrible staff, Forgive me, for being this blunt. I know the country is hard, it's hard for your boss too, it's one of the reasons, he is running a business. Therefore, try to bring something to the table, and let's see if there wouldn't be any different.
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