- A look at the boss-team member dynamic
Boss, the single most hated creature on the corporate horizon for reasons that cannot even be counted. If I start writing the reasons I would probably run out of pages because of the variety of reasons. The reasons vary from personal liking or disliking to professional conduct and behaviour.
Some dislike him for the way he talks, others for the way he walks, some for the way he eats, other for the way he meets, some for the way he drinks, others for the way he blinks, some for the way he stands, other for the way he brands, some for the way he smiles, others for the way he goes extra miles, some for the way he cries, others for the way he tries, some for the way he thinks, other for the way he links, some for the way he wins, other for the way he sins, some for the way he makes an effort, other for the way he takes the credit, some for the way he loses, other for the way he chooses and the list goes on and on and on.
However, the fact is that bosses have been portrayed as so negative that even their sane actions are taken as negative by the team members. This hasn’t happened in the last one year but has been happening consistently ever since the concept of the boss-team member relationship was introduced. There is no denying the fact that some bosses act authoritatively and arrogantly, and create troubles for the team members; however not all the bosses do that, and not every boss does this in every situation with every team member. This keeps on varying from situation to situation and team member to team member. The relationship between boss and team member is one of the most important relationships after blood relationships, as not only the productivity and career of both but the profitability and success of an organization, depends on them performing, and if they aren’t aligned with each other, then not only the organization, but their careers, are bound to suffer.
The most prevalent problem in this relationship, like other relationships, is the lack of communication between boss and team members. Bosses often do not make team members understand their expectations or performance standards and team members do not understand what they are required to deliver. This haywire situation either leads to tasks not getting completed or substandard achievement of designated tasks by the team members, resulting in dissatisfaction of boss which leads to the straining of the relationship between them.
By only following this simple rule, both the boss and team member can have a happy and positive working relationship: “Be the boss you want your boss to be, and be the team member you want your team member to be.”
In order to thrive in any role, it is important for the team members to understand the performance expectations of their bosses and at the same time it is important for the bosses to understand the capabilities, qualities and expectations of their team members. However this can only happen when both of them would be open and honest with each other and would have no set prejudices for each other in mind. Furthermore, they need to realize that the success or failure of their roles, and of the organization itself, depends on their joint efforts, and not on any individual one. Once they would understand as a fact that one plus one is not two but 11, then they would put their efforts in the right direction with the right spirit.
Since bosses are not born in any other universe and have always been the ones who have been in a reporting relationship, or even after being becoming the boss maintain the same relationships with others, hence it is always important for them to maintain an open communication channel within their team so that team members can share anything without having the fear of being penalized.
Last but not the least, bosses aren’t evil spirits but are human beings and can have their highs and lows. However, by only following this simple rule, both the boss and team member can have a happy and positive working relationship:
“Be the boss you want your boss to be, and be the team member you want your team member to be.”
Happy Working. Sincerely,
A Boss and a Team Member
Asad Piracha
