An Ideal Boss

A boss should be someone who gives us guidance, someone who shares his or her experiences, someone who helps us meet our organisation's objectives, someone who has our best interest in mind in addition to the organisation's, someone with whom there is an element of formality and yet a high degree of trust and a certain element of friendship, someone who effectively knows how to get work done through us without making us feel humiliated or less than his or her equal, someone who has human qualities.

A boss should not be this distant, autocratic figure who controls our professional destiny and personal life, someone who doesn't give us respect, someone who feels he has this power over us that can be used and misused at will, someone who hires and fires based on his or her whims and fancies, someone who treats us like machines instead of like human beings.

Many of us have been both subordinates and bosses. Many of us know how we want our bosses to treat us, but we don't always apply the same yardsticks to our subordinates. At the end of the day, we can't choose our bosses, and though I have had some good bosses in my career, years ago I took the conscious decision to not have a boss, and live life on my own terms. I became an entrepreneur with a work from home model. I chose a field that was of interest to me, which wasn't very remunerative but was satisfying nevertheless. It hasn't been easy, and I've consciously earned a lot less than I would have in an organisation, but I have no real regrets. I guess I'm too sensitive to brush aside something that a boss says and does, when I'm not on the same level playing field as him or her. I've had freedom, something a lot of us long for but compromise on, I've had the opportunity to give importance to other, very important aspects of my life that would have got neglected. I've been able to spend time with people who matter, I've been able to pursue my interests, and I've had my venture which hasn't been a runaway success for a multitude of reasons but has still been an important anchor in my life.

Perhaps I will join an organisation again someday, because it's not easy to live on just love and fresh air, however fulfilling they may be! There are responsibilities that cannot be neglected. But it has been good living life on my terms, and if and when I do have a boss again, I do hope it's someone who fits into my concept of what an ideal boss should be!