Being bossed about by bad bosses by Roger Knight
My occupational account of coercion and control.
Supervision: noun.
The action, process or occupation of supervising, especially;
A critical watching and directing of activities or a course of action.
A man is known by his conduct to his wife, to his family, and to those under him. Napoleon Bonaparte
Most of us, for a significant part of our lives are, throughout our careers bossed about by a number of supervisors / managers / CEO’s etc, with varying supervisory styles and degrees of bossiness, that can motivate or demotivate depending on the nature of their bossiness.
This can be gauged on a continuum ranging from authoritative to permissive. A question I have often asked when interviewing managers as to where they would place themselves on this continuum. Most would place themselves somewhere in the middle of the scale, to play it safe.
Now in my contemplative, retired state, I find myself reflecting on those bosses I once had, particularly those that were controlling, inclined to micromanage me and diminish the quality of my working life.
The ones that would relish holding me out to dry right up to the 90th day of my probationary period, telling me how they had deliberately taken the wind out of my sails so as to test my resilience.
My bosses have been almost equally divided between men and women of various nationalities, each based on their personalities and inclinations, with their individual supervisory style and approach.
The women on the whole were more approachable and congenial, but more exacting in their expectations of my performance and its measurement. One in particular, whose signature fragrance, Chanel number 5, always preceded her presence, often boasted that she never took any prisoners.
Then there was one of several Saudi bosses I had, who at the time, owned one of the largest private collections of Ferraris in the world, and whose most frequently used words were: immediately and unacceptable. These denoted his autocratic style of supervision and bad-tempered demeanour, which made working for him decidedly uncomfortable, unpredictable, and challenging.
Another boss in Australia would frequently invade my personal space so as to see what I had on screen. He would completely dominate any client visits to the point of exclusion, resulting in my early exit from his organisation. Most other bosses, fortunately, were easier going and more trusting, allowing more autonomy, accounting for longer tenures and some relative employment stability.
But, by far the worst boss I had the misfortune to know, and whose yoke I worked under, was in Dubai. He was demanding, domineering, and intrusive. He placed very little trust in others and was often overbearing in the extreme. How I became enticed to work for him was, in hindsight, a case of misrepresentation and a desperation to leave a Saudi employer who was defaulting on salary. It was sadly a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire for me.
The changed dynamic in the office was palpable as soon as he swanned in, wearing one of his many designer suits, enveloped in a cloud of cologne, and then our hearts would sink for the rest of the day. His mood was never buoyant, invariably irascible and petulant. His view of the world verging on paranoia. Any interaction with him put me on edge, carefully choosing my words so as not to trigger an outburst.
One afternoon when his mood was particularly brittle, his temper suddenly exploded, and he started demolishing furniture with his karate kicks that he claimed to be an exponent of, creating so much fear among some of the female staff that the recruitment coordinator fled the scene never to return. I was later blamed for her departure.
I realised at that stage that it was time to make my own exit given the volatility of the situation with a boss who clearly was carrying some serious psychological baggage.
Whilst I was packing up my goods and chattels ready for their next shipment, whose destination had not been determined by then, the Dubai police came to my apartment accusing me of trying to leave without first cancelling my visa. Being driven to the Bur Dubai police station in the back of a police car made me feel I had transgressed in some way, when I was simply reacting to an intolerable situation.
On arrival, what ensued was a slanging match with my boss and the police captain threatening to jail us both if we didn’t stop arguing. Eventually, having surrendered my passport, I was able to leave, having been short-changed on my final salary as I returned my visa slip at the departure gate in good faith. The final karate kick in the teeth.
At least I can say that I was fortunate enough to have had only one nightmare boss. It certainly made me appreciate the ones that followed. Inspirational, helpful, or difficult and coercive, they have all influenced and shaped my perception of the world of work and how it can exact such a toll on our overall well-being.
Our bosses are not unlike protagonists in the intersecting plays of life, where we have mostly minor roles to play. Now that final curtain has thankfully fallen, I can’t say that I miss the coercion and control, but I do miss that intrinsic satisfaction that comes from my boss sometimes, thanking me for a job well done and where for a brief time for a change I actually feel valued.
Despite the passing years, though, some bosses still loom large. The inspirers, the influencers, the shapers, as well as the controllers and the bullies that all played a part, and now represent deep coloured threads that run through my somewhat frayed tapestry of life.
RAK 3/23
