You might have always felt that bosses give good ratings and recommend you for good increments. But at times, bosses can cause great damage to you and your career. So, ask yourself, is your boss ruining your career?
By being excessively nice to you:
Some bosses are very liberal in allowing you to take frequent leave, offering you flexibility, permissions to postpone things and so on. For example, you say in a pleasing tone “Sir, I will give the report tomorrow afternoon; I need to go early to attend some personal work“ and your boss readily says “ok, please take care“. You are sure to love the friendly gesture of your boss at that moment. In the long run, you are not shaping yourself into a thorough professional committed to performance. Unwittingly, a touch of casual attitude may creep in and stay permanently as a work ethic.
By avoiding constructive feedback:
Many bosses hesitate giving feedback, especially if it is negative. Their apprehensions are that such negative feedback
will be harsh on you and you may get de-motivated. True, you are being saved from some tough introspection. But does it help you to correct yourself? Don’t you wish to be a better professional as you grow?
By showering false praises:
In addition to withholding negative feedback, to keep you happy, some bosses may shower praises that are not true. It tends to inflate your ego; makes you develop a false sense of self-image which will not do any good to you. You will end up falsely thinking as more competent than what truly you are.
By excessively shielding you:
You may feel lucky to have a boss who shields you from external storms. You feel blessed to have a boss who does not expose your mistakes to others and somehow manages or takes the blame on to him. While it is a good leadership to some extent, doing it more often will not allow you to experience the real work pressure. It makes you habituated to work under safe conditions and does not prepare for the future storms in your career.
By doing your job:
You may feel lucky when your boss does your job; he may ask you to work on a presentation and later change his mind and decide to do it himself. You feel happy and pack up early and go home. In reality, your boss is depriving you of the opportunity to learn and demonstrate your competence. Your boss is unknowingly ruining your career. It is crucial to learn by doing your job. For short-term benefit of leaving the office early, you are losing the long-term opportunity of showcasing your skill.
By allowing you to be in your comfort zone:
Imagine yourself performing a particular job for many years and therefore mastering it. You can now perform that activity even in your sleep. In such situation, it is common to wish that you are not forced to learn new things and again strive to prove yourself. If your boss allows you to continue the same job, you may feel blessed once again and thank your boss. But in reality, your boss is ruining your career growth without allowing you to come out of the comfort zone. For any reasons, if there are changes within the organisation and if there are changes in your role, you will surely be the fish out of the water. Thanks to your boss, you remained in your comfort zone for too long and therefore you are under prepared to wither the storms.
The moral of the story is that nice bosses need not be effective bosses. They may not be helping you grow as a professional. Next time you face a demanding boss, you must consider yourself lucky because he/she will help you realize your potential. Such bosses prepare you to become a better professional; more competent; more resilient; and more mature.
Next time you face a boss who challenges and pushes you, don’t hate him. Instead say, “Thank you boss for being tough with me!”
This article was published in:
HR Mirror, Hans India
Follow Dr. Raj on Twitter @drraj29
