That’s Boss
In an episode of the Office, Michael Scott talks about how there was a time when people used the term boss to describe something cool. He went on to mourn the way people don’t perceive bosses as cool any longer.
Of course, a big reason for that show’s success is that it does such a good job parodying all the worst parts of modern middle-management. Things like a boss who doesn’t know how to do the basic elements of his employees jobs, who doesn’t understand how to manage, and also has no respect for his bosses.
I think he was on to something — it’s hip in North America to be down on authority. It’s cool to be a rebel. We do it in ways that would have shocked our grandparents or our parents. There was a time when management was appreciated for the jobs they oversaw — people were glad to be working. Now we have a fairly heightened sense of entitlement — I deserve a great job and I deserve a manager that bows to my every need.
Obviously, an attitude adjustment is in order — I’m not exactly sure how far it needs to be taken, but I am sure that there’s a lot of room for us to be more appreciative of the people who keep our jobs in place by doing paperwork and other management tasks that let the people up the totem-pole further know that we’re valuable.
