“Hey boss!”

It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it.

The word itself is enough to make me cringe.  Although people have a natural fear and public display of respect for whoever is the boss, you can’t help but resent anyone who holds the title.  As my career has developed into manifesting the ownership of one of Greater Vancouver’s largest Multi-disciplinary Alternative Wellness Clinics, I look back on the past 2 years of being “the boss” and I realize something:

No matter what books you read, or seminars you attend, you can never be REALLY ready for the challenges you face in that position.  Here’s what I have learned.

1)   Everyone is going to try to “get away” with whatever they can.  You can’t blame them, because we all are the same.  All you can do is to be clear on your boundaries and make your expectations clear.

2) Speak up when those boundaries have been crossed, or suffer the consequences later.

3) Become aware of your weaknesses, and delegate those tasks to others who are good at them.

4)  If you don’t prioritize your day with productive activities, then non-productive, energy draining tasks will take over your day.  Guaranteed.

5)  Become extremely comfortable not being liked.  No matter what you do… I repeat… NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO… people will like you and dislike you.  So embrace it and do what you love to do.  Side note:  Most people can’t handle not being liked, and thats why being the boss is not for the faint of heart.

6)  If you pay peanuts, you end up with monkeys.

7)  Humans require inspiration to take massive action.  People have blown themselves up and crashed airplanes into buildings because they they had something they believed in.  Become inspired, share your vision, and you’ll be surprised at how others will catch that inspiration and jump on board with your vision.

8-  Life is a struggle to stay in the present moment.  Every day, you will be bombarded with 30-50 opportunities to take you into past remembered guilts, or future imagined fears.  Learn the art of recognizing they are just illusions and all that matters is what is in front of you NOW.  Once you have mastered this art, write a book about it and make millions.  And please send me royalties for giving you the idea.

9)  The most successful people in the world are those that have understood how to combine their spiritual nature with their material nature, and kept both in harmonic balance.  Fall out of equilibrium, that is– try to give something for nothing or try to get something for nothing, and the universe will let you know by giving you a few gifts to make you aware of the disequilibrium.  Those gifts are: Stress, resentment, frustration, anxiety, and depression, fear, and guilt.  What better way to remind you to balance your give and take with the world than to make you extremely uncomfortable?

10)  Everyone is replaceable in your company except YOU.  Appreciate your co-workers, but never infatuate with them or make them feel that you are worthless without them.  Give anyone that power and they will eat you alive.  Put the needs of the company FIRST.  Nobody has a job without the company being healthy FIRST.  I used to think the opposite.  The school of hard knocks taught me otherwise.

11)  Being the boss is not as easy as you think it is.  My respect for successful entrepeneurs has skyrocketed because I KNOW how difficult it is.  The higher up you climb up that ladder, the more people can see your butt.  And it’s so easy to take shots at the one who’s at the top.

I know these are specific to “bosses” but when you look carefully at each of these and they can relate to us being the “boss” of our own lives.  These principles are universal, and they all address how important it is to respect and honor ourselves when we relate to others.  Failed businesses, failed relationships, and deteriorating health all result from people who don’t love themselves enough to put themselves on equal ground with others and speak up when they have needed to.

Any other pearls of wisdom, feel free to comment.

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