It is amazing how the sight of someone crying can completely humanise that person, can change them from robot to real in a second. I say this because today, during what was a somewhat intense staff meeting, i saw my formerly dragon-lady boss cry. She cried those embarrassing tears that come when you're trying to keep your shit together and everything just overwhelms you, and rather than make me want to roll my eyes it made me feel bad for her. And, strangely enough, bad that i'd previously thought so little of her. That i'd thought that she was unfeeling and only concerned with the company line, when now it seems she's stuck between a rock and hard place and is as just as frusturated and demoralised as the rest of us. It was nice to see she's not a Stepford-boss after all, and instead is just another employee trying to keep calm and carry on.
I guess sometimes it takes a glimpse of these hidden insecurities to change our opinon of someone, even if that someone wants us to think of them in an entirely different light. I may not think of her entirely differently, but least now i know their is a real woman behind the company robot....
I had a boss cry in a meeting before work once. No one knew what to do. Everyone just kinda stared at her. It remember thinking it was nice to know she wasn't some kind of cement wall, but that was pretty much it.
ReplyDeleteI think that it's often the way with management - we forget that they have someone about them dictating to them and shaping how they react to their own staff. I had a manager once who went from being ok to a complete cow. It turned out her boss had told her that she would have to let a whole lot of my colleagues go soon but she couldn't even hint that there was anything wrong, it was just too much pressure for her.
ReplyDeleteI think it helps to see emotion in other people. Boss or not, they're still people with feelings and their own stuff to deal with.
Its hard to be between that rock and hard place, Im there right now and hating every moment of it. Hope your evil boss lady is ok.
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