Amazing bosses!

The sheer wealth of knowledge that bosses generally have and also put on the shelf for the benefit of subordinates amazes me no end. Like the ganges that originates from the locks of lord shiva and freely flows down Himalayas and then the plains enrichening the lives of the inhabitants of the gangetic plain, the amazing wealth of knowledge that bosses have been known to possess flows freely in the form of words for the benefit of the wide mouthed subordinates generally witnessed sitting spellbound.

The subordinates on the other hand cannot be faulted for an absolute lack of knowledge and a dumb posterior in the awesome presence of knowledgeable bosses. After all do not humans beings since time immemorial feel dwarfed in the presence of tall symbols of the lord almighty even if of stone. The absolute knowledge of the bosses on almost all issues under the sun dwarfs the invariably dumb and gaping subordinates, who generally deserve no mercy.

The ability to amazingly switch from being the epitome of knowledge to a dumb subordinate and visa versa has been the key to success of some of the most successful officers who have occupied the highest echelons at various tiers including the apex. Yet I have wondered throughout the over thirty three years of my service as to how a mere mortal transforms into a fountainhead of knowledge and intelligence even if self professed, within hours of occupying the bosses chair. Maybe the encouragement given by the wide mouthed gaping subordinates hastens the transformation process.  

If only the subordinates were knowledgeable enough and had better role clarity, the bosses would definitely have pulled the organization and the nation out from the morass they are in. The blame therefore squarely lies on the shoulders of the subordinates, and the bosses rightfully claim appreciation for the tiny steps forward that they are able to take despite the baggage of unworthy subordinates.

A worthy boss changes like a chameleon to an unworthy subordinate in the presence of his superior in rank, a quality precisely suited for a rapid rise up the hierarchy in the bureaucratic arena and therefore finding large scale emulation. The sheer ignorance of a few like me of the need for a rapid switch between roles would therefore definitely demand its toll in this highly vibrant bureaucratic environment powered by transformation technology.

Amen!