Bruce Kasanoff* says being a leader can often mean you become more aware of how little power you actually possess.
Here are six simple truths your boss won’t tell you.
I’m powerless, too
It’s tempting to think your boss — or his boss, or her boss — has all the power.
That’s not how it feels to them. Everyone feels stuck in the middle. Even your Head of Department must contend with their Minister, regulators and the media.
You confuse me
From time to time, you say or do things that baffle your boss, and probably the people around you.
Perhaps you weren’t paying attention until you had to speak. Perhaps you spoke without thinking, or without fully appreciating the gravity of the situation.
If this happens occasionally, no big deal; if it happens routinely, that’s a problem.
Watch for that look in people’s eyes that says: “Huh?” It usually surfaces months before you get official notice of your tenuous status.
You gotta do something I can’t live without
To be secure in today’s workforce, you must have a skill that your boss values enough to pay for it.
If you lack such a skill, do nothing else until you master one.
Don’t undermine your own value
If you love your job so much that you would gladly do it for free, it might be best not to mention this.
Without confidence, your competence will be wasted
Do whatever it takes to build self-confidence, even if it means confronting your worst fears.
The popular press is filled with potential tactics: Fake it until you make it; adopt power postures; use self-affirmations; build a support group.
The truth is that people are different, so find a tactic that works for you.
Don’t waste your talent because you don’t value it as much as others would if they could see it clearly.
Half the stuff I say is nonsense
Your boss is besieged by the same forces as the rest of us.
Budgets shift, bureaucracy wins, the economy varies, technology advances, and sometimes people just flat out change their minds.
At best, your boss is perceptively navigating a difficult path.
At worst they are lost beyond your worst nightmare, but either way, your boss is just another person.
Show some compassion, and hope they do the same for you.
*Bruce Kasanoff is the founder of The Journey, a newsletter for positive, uplifting and accomplished professionals. He can be contacted at kasanoff.com.
This article first appeared at kasanoff.com.
