Goodbyes

     There is a saying "You don't miss someone or something until they or it is gone. " Its a bit frightening how true this is.
      One of the bosses where I work had his last day before retirement today.
Bosses as usual can be very annoying among other things. This boss was no exception.  He had been reducing his work hours gradually over the past few years, which actually has been quite nice. I knew that this day was coming but I didn't really think much about it . I did not really think about it much today either since it was  a very busy day at work. When the end of the work day arrived and everyone said their official goodbyes it was surreal. So many of us had worked with this boss for so long that it seemed it would never end. Some were teary eyed. This boss had brought in most of the business even after he had reduced his hours. Things will change . We all know this but I had put it out of my mind until the last few minutes of work today.
       As I boarded the Q train on my way home from work to my great surprise I was teary eyed. I did not think that I would miss this boss at all, but apparently I will. Life is full of surprises.

Power Trips

     Often people who are in positions of power abuse their power .They think they can treat their subordinates as shoddily as possible just because they are their superior. This of course makes for lots of trouble when one has a job where people need to work together as a team when someone at the top tries to pit people against each other.
      If one is smart one treats one's subordinates with respect. People work better in a positive environment.
     I always wonder if some managers were always as disrespectful toward others or if they became that way because they were put in a position of power. Perhaps its a combination of the two. It does not have to be so negative. I have supervised others and its been positive. It is possible to be firm with others without being hostile and it is much easier to get people to work together in an environment of respect.
    This is just my two cents.