8/7/2019 Bursting the boss myth

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Bursting the boss myth

“There is no such thing as a ‘boss’,” he announced, leaning back with his cup of greentea. The three of us burst out laughing – together. We worked in the same department and

had to meet a deadline in three days to keep his bossy highness in good humour. This

man was obvious getting tipsy over green tea! Or may be he was unemployed –  perpetually so. Perhaps, he was a boss himself waxing eloquent trying to deconstruct his

role verbally, while holding on to his golden throne. Just a subtler form of power play.

Anyway, it was party time and the strangest of theories could be entertaining at times.

“The ‘boss’ is an illusion and like all illusions it’s strength depends on the perceiver’s

mind,” wisdom poured like a fountain. So, what was he suggesting, if the three of us

 practiced concentration hard enough our pot bellied, tyrannical, gold toothed corporatemaster could be….whooosh!!!?? “Of course, there are no magic wands,” (Oh my God,

the guy was a mind reader!) “ but if you try hard enough and long enough you can be free

of the bossiness of others if not get rid of the boss figure.” I wonder if he noted the

frowns and sighs that went round the room. “There is no great secret behind this - onlythe simple understanding of the web.” Web? www…the answer to all ills? Don’t tell me

this was going to be a combined form of advaita philosophy and matrix maya churnedtogether by some glib talker who never worked under pressure or had to fend for a

family? “What web?” someone burst forth. I wasn’t the only one listening!

“The web of life – the reality of our being connected. Life is not a vertical or linear 

arrangement, it’s more like a mass of wires connected. While it’s not possible to always

reach each wire-central directly there is always a connection.” That was a good idea -

 provoke the boss’s wife-wire, or kidnap… after all, those connections would producefairly direct results. “But remember, if you snap or cut a wire, the entire system is

affected.” What a mind reader! Or may be it’s just obvious, that’s what most – all(?) bossed upon employees want to do!

“You have to work towards finding the mass of wires that meet at an interval and try to

 produce an effect there.” So networking was the key, right? “Sometimes a good hardshake-up gets a dysfunctional interval to start again.” Ah revolution! So, that’s what he’s

 been talking about all along. I always knew revolution was the answer when came to

some bosses at least.

“…Or an exchange of wires sometimes can work….”What does it all mean? Not in woolly, abstract terms but for real life people like us with

deadlines and performance pay?

“…which just means that you’ve got to make the person  see from your and other points

of view, whether the person is your boss or your servant. Perception is all.” Easier said

than done, my boss was severally myopic – literally and metaphorically. He hid andremedied one type of myopia by wearing contacts, but what is the answer to the myopia

of the mind? How to make him see? “Begin by what the person does understand and is

sensitive to and then take him to that he yet doesn’t fully comprehend.” 

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“Oh yeah! Like start from profit and take him to more profit! And if you really want him

to see anything besides – forget beyond profit or his ego, it will take ages, I’d probably

leave this job and move on by the time that happens, if it happens at all. Who cares abouthis transformation then?!”

“Transformation requires patience and knowledge or wisdom. First, the knowledge of theright ‘wires’ (read, string pulling!) and secondly, the knowledge to let go and wait

 patiently for the signal to reach the right point. But remember, sometimes, you just can’t

 pass electric current through a fused wire. It will take time and perhaps more than onestuck signal for the web to take out and make new the fused wire or even replace it.”

Fused wire? ...Replace it?...I couldn’t quite make out whether he was talking about death

and resurrection, or sending someone to a really transforming workshop, or simplysaying that hang on there till more people push and he’s forced to quit, may be even fired.

My devilish serpent tongue was licking my lips. Anyway, I still guess it would take some

serious time for his bosses to realize that he’s fake…. And what if it did happen? He may

 be replaced by yet another wired up character rather than a live wire one. That’s being back to square one – with a different boss.

I wonder if he thought the same way about his bosses, and they about their respective

 bosses…where would this lead to? God?…or back to the web of which we are all an

integral part? The notion of hierarchy leads to the ultimate boss - God, and he’s NEVER 

directly accessible! You don’t even know whether his representatives are really hisrepresentatives, may be they are just pretending or worse, are self deluded. If God isn’t

the answer that leads us back to the web and the onus is on us, and a lot of wire work 

needs to be done. While you are at it, do the work as best as you can, make the right noisein right places, if possible in the right way and wait…and wait…and wait…and if nothing

happens - sip green tea – it’s good for the heart!

- Harvinder Kaur teachertalk@rediffmail.com