Friday, November 16, 2007

Lonely at the Top

They all say it's lonely at the top and at the risk of sounding like I'm bragging, it is. I work at a small company and am #2 in command with all other staff reporting to me. That means no peers, no coworkers in which to confide. Only a boss and a bunch of subordinates. Lately I have been working hard not to say negative things, to my staff and to my peers outside of my company for fear of the gossip mill making it back around.

So, the drama finally got to be too much for me and with bottling it all up inside, I just about burst. I called our Employee Assistance Program, which is confidential, and they talked me into seeing a counselor, just so that I could have someone to talk to about what is going on.

She gave me two homework assignments and I plan to use my blog for this daily homework.

Number 1: Define my Job - 5 minutes a day. I am a senior manager responsible for the productivity, training and general work well-being of my staff. I oversee all programs and am responsible for quality assurance, accurate reporting and compliance with applicable rules and regulations. I am to be available to my employees, but also have some projects of my own. I am responsible for staffing, hiring and firing as required to get the job done. I report to the general manager and am responsible for implementing his vision and helping him accomplish his goals. I am responsible for representing my company in the community.

Number 2: Objectify my Boss - 5 minutes a day. My boss is the Boss with a capital B. He is approximately my age. He is small in stature, but extremely fit. He is a black belt and generally aggressive. He is the bread winner and father of 2. He is easily threatened and often feels like he is taken advantage of for being the "little guy" - this refers to the size of the company. He is generally good looking, if not a little bit of a pretty boy, and appears to have an inflated sense of his abilities. He is technically okay and feels most comfortable in these tasks. He is socially awkward and sometimes says inappropriate things in group settings.

Now I get to put both of those behind me for the rest of the day and enjoy myself.

Happy Friday!

1 comment:

NicciN said...

Wow. This seems intense, but I am glad that you are finding support. Good for you! I understand about the Boss with a capital B. It reminds me of the university where faculty are faculty with a capital F. They get much of the credit, I do most of the work, and I will take all the heat if things go poorly. Luckily things are going rather well, but now we really need to deliver.