HITTING AN ABUSIVE BOSS WITH TRUTH WAS A SOUL SAVER
THE HUMAN RACE
OFFICE OGRES DESERVE TO SUFFER EXASPERATION, TOO!
Even bosses are not immune to exasperation.
Subjected to bullying from abusive bosses,
guys and gals who vent their own wrath against
such higher-ups,should think twice before
they perform the honcho pounce .
For any working stiff, uncompromising honesty
could result in political suicide. Here’s my story:
Although I had a family to support and bills
to pay, I had no alternative than to leave a bitemark
on an office executive’s conscience. When my boss
invited me into his Century City office, closed
the door, sat me down across from him and asked,
“What do you think of me?” my guard was down.
The corporate vice-president had taken
me to lunch several times and had confessed
his personal woes. So innocently I crawled into his
ring, dropped my dukes, and naively asked if he wanted
the truth? When he shot me smile and shrugged
disarmingly, looking more like Jimmy Stewart than
Godzilla, I gave him a dose of honesty:
“You are a sonuvabitch, Jake.
You mistreat employees. Throw tantrums.
Slam your office door so hard that pictures
fall off the wall. You phone your secretary at
five sharp every afternoon. For fear of losing
her job, she can’t leave even three minutes early.
You have her bring in Starbucks in the morning,
lie to clients about your availability.
On her own time, you have her pick up your
laundry and buy gifts for your wife.”
Although he didn’t bat an eyelash, the veins in his
neck looked like they were going to explode.
Jonathan didn’t speak to me for several weeks.
Finally, he fired me. A few days later, I was told,
the president of the company sent him a memo
telling him that he couldn’t attend a showbiz
conference in New Orleans because he was needed
to make a new business presentation. In a tizzy fit,
Jake marched into the president’s office,
tore up the memo, and tossed the shreds into the
secretary’s face. “Tell the boss,” he snapped, “this is what
I think of his memo!” When the supreme commander
returned that afternoon, Jake, his irreplaceable
vice president, offered: “I’ll give you four weeks
to replace me.” Almost instantly, he fired
Jake, which wasn’t his real name,
and rehired me. The object of this true
story is: In any business environment,
think before you reveal a painful truth to any
workplace superior who is capable of
suffocating you professionally. If the ogre is leading
with his chin like Jake did, you have
a couple of options: Think defensively, be creative and
polish your self-assertive candor. Only then will you be capable of
delivering a verbal punch that might knock some
ruthless, intimidating, egotistical
taskmaster on his egotistical butt . Always keep
in mind that stark truth may land
you in the unemployment line.
Like my actor-stuntman dad used to say,
“Never telegraph a punch unless
you’re sure you can knock your
opponent out of the ring.”
Quite often, such has
no clout in the workplace.
Yet, if intrepidity — strength of
mind to carry on in spite of danger,
that kind of fearlessness reveals that
you’re mentally fit to tangle with any
fire-breathing dragon who thinks
he’s invincible. But equip yourself
before going into battle. Remember,
no matter how sharp your tongue,
come equipped with integrity
and the heart of a warrior.
As the bumper sticker warns,
SHIT HAPPENS!
— Boots LeBaron —
Click to buy The Human Race by Boots LeBaron avail at Amazon and Kindle.
Boots LeBaron's World 