National Boss Day. October 16th has been pitched as a day for employees to thank their bosses for being kind and fair throughout the year. Some have oppose the concept as nothing more than a meaningless Hallmark Holiday, as well as placing unfair pressure on employees to bow down to managers who earn more than they do, while exercising power over them. There are good bosses and there are those who are left to be desired. My boss happens to be one of the good ones.
National Boss Day
Before I started my private practice and business, I worked for individuals who should not have been in manager/supervisor roles. There were some who were competent and some who were incompetent. Whether competent or not, some also needed skills in managing their own issues/feelings to be better equipped to help their employees become more effective. Some were punitive some were fair. I appreciated those who identified and exercised appropriate behavior and had some emotional intelligence aka maturity. Where their developed sense of self was grounded enough to be fair and well mannered. That’s not always the case.
It’s not easy running a business. I had to develop a system and implement tools to enable balance in my work and personal life. As I am a counselor and coach, I must role model self care so my clients understand being a workaholic isn’t healthy or productive to self or family. Taking care of oneself is the key to developing and maintaining relationships. In my book, “Happy Me Happy We: Six Steps To Know Yourself So You Know What You Want In A Relationship” I explain the concept of “me” first, and not in a selfish way.
As a young woman I was plagued with migraines. Anyone who has migraines would sympathize as these types of headaches make functioning impossible. Taking time off (I had accrued sick leave or personal time off), was viewed as a negative and yearly reviews always mentioned the time off. I thought these managers were heartless and showed no empathy. Throughout my days as an employee I barely came across a boss who “had it together.” I understand productivity and quotas to be met, but, I believe you can achieve those goals by being a decent human being.
Although I did not have a business degree, I was fortunate and had the wherewithal to become a business owner. Being my own boss has it’s stressors, don’t get me wrong. But at least I have control over and the ability to manage those stressors without the critical eye of someone trying to meet company needs over my own well being.
To all those who have bosses. I hope they are one of the better ones. For those who do not, I sympathize with you. To help manage stress from work and unappreciated feelings concentrate on yourself. Meaning do things that make you happy to balance the stressors of work life. I understand some have limited choices and need to make a living. Carving out time for yourself and doing what you want can make all the difference. A happier self can create opportunities for you where there are none.
If you need help with work life balance give me a call at (858) 735-1139.
