That phrase makes me look back on some of my bosses growing up:
Mr Baker who was my boss at Jackson Fabrics in Needham Massachusetts was an 80 year old asthmatic man with a buzzing hearing aid who wheeled around an oxygen tank throughout the store. He was angry about Kidsthesedays and Moderncountingmachines like calculators and cash registers. So he made me do ALL math in my head. Just to clarify, I was working in a FABRIC store. Most customer came up and bought 4 buttons at .30 and 2 zippers at 1.09 and 3 yards of fabric at 1.04 and 5 yards at 9.88, etc. He would wheeze and bark at me to do again and again until I got it right, while the customer awkwardly waited and I nearly cried trying to remember all those numbers with no pencil, paper or Moderncountingmachines. Yes, he was a Boss from Hell but he earned a suffix-Atthetime. I realized much later that his hammering numbers into my head helped me to never hesitate about tip amounts and to be able to figure out insurance contributions and deductibles and such. Some bosses push you to do something beyond what you THINK you can do and that is actually a gift.
And there are the Bosses from Hell whose greatest contribution is teaching you who you neverwant to be. The images that come to mind are the bosses who offered to give me a raise if I made it worth their while- nod nod wink wink-say no more. One boss went to jail for a year for an illegal scam. I had drunk bosses, lying bosses and asking me to cover for them bosses. One boss even asked me to go and try to videotape his soon to be ex wife with her current boyfriend so he would have court evidence. He needed me to hold that ladder. He offered to pay time and a half. Streaming pictures of bosses who scammed patients, screamed at other coworkers and threw things, and got energy from humiliating and demeaning people around them.
Having spoken about the BFH, I need to take a moment to tell you about my favorite bosses. Mr Lance Jackson, treated me like I was someone special. He SAW me and encouraged me in every possible turn. For most of my high school years I had no front tooth and no self esteem. Lance paid attention to me, made me laugh (while covering my mouth, of course), taught me to drive stick shift, (yes I did stop traffic both ways for 17 minutes on Rte 6 and received a overwhelming beeping reception when I finally was able to get the dang car to complete the left turn!) took me to Bermuda to babysit his children, and always encouraged me-strangely enough- to write. He told me my voice was important. He paid me well for what I did and often thought about my happiness and how to bring out the BEST in me, something deeply buried at the time.
Open your eyes about your role as a boss or future boss. Do you realize what your staff is contributing to your business? Do you train them well? Do you help them to be amazing? Do you reward them financially? With benefits? What kind of boss are you? Demanding? Passive Aggressive? What kind do you want to be? What do you want your employees to say about you and your business years from now? Is how you are leading or not leading your team affecting the way you care for your patients and your community?
This is Part One in a three part series. In Part Two, we will discuss the hidden sources of pain and shame in being a boss and how shining light on this subject can save you time money and help your practice BLOOM! In part three, I will unveil my call to be Ultimate Boss Of The Year, or as I have nicknamed it, the ultimate BO.O.T.Y. Call.