Brown Crayon in the Workplace

Are You Working for a Good Boss? ▼

“Telling my story of what I experienced in the workplace.”

Are you employed with a good company, but working for a bad boss?

Whom you work for will influence the course of your career, so choose your boss wisely. You should conduct informational interviews with the potential bosses before you actually have the chance to work with them. Find out what kind of bosses are interviewing you, compose meaningful questions that will show their personal work style. When one person can control such power over your daily work life, there’s no choice but to choose your boss wisely.

Many job seekers think that the boss chooses them when they go to an interview but don’t forget that you can choose as well. If you choose your boss wisely, you can progress in your career much faster and unlock your potential.

When you go to a job interview, you get the chance to meet with the people you will potentially be working with and have an idea of the culture of the company. Therefore, it is very important to work with coworkers that you can connect with since you will be spending time with them at least 40 hours a week in the same building.

Listen carefully during the interview, then you will immediately know if you connect with the person or not. You will have an idea how that person behaves, talks and even you can understand his/her sense of humor.

During the interview, pay attention how s/he speaks. Does the person often start the sentence using the word ‘I’ or ‘we’, meaning the team or department? Then you will be able to tell if the person is team-oriented or self-oriented.

People are quitting their jobs each month to look for a better boss. A good boss in a company will protect you, support you and unlock your potential. A bad boss in a good company will frustrate and demoralize you.

A good boss can make you feel valued and proud of your contribution. A good boss will challenge you with assignments and invite you to make important decisions. A bad boss can limit your professional future and seriously damage your perception of your own abilities. S/He can make you question your career choice as well as your choice of the employer.

A good boss will care about results and motivating employees. A good boss will engage the entire team to come up with creative solutions. A good boss will celebrate wins with the team and take the time to get to know employees as individuals. A good boss understands that delivering feedback on performance needs to be tactful and considerate will motivate employees rather than alienate them. A good boss can put together a solid plan and executive it. A good boss understands that balancing work and fun prevents burnout, builds a great culture, and leads to exceptional results.

I had a bad boss on my nonprofit job in Washington, DC. He acted out racism and got away with bullying and intimidating me.

Copyright © 2019 - All Rights Reserved

Pen Name: Brown Crayon (pseudonym)