TOUGH BOSSES

TOUGH BOSSES.

GREAT THEACHER OR REASONS TO CHANGE JOBS?

As soon as I picked up the phone I knew there was something really bad with my friend Maria, a personal and professional confidant very dear to me. Sobbing and crying she started explaining her life tragedy: HER BOSS.

The company she works for offered Maria a while ago a managing post in Mexico City after great results in one of their local offices.

Upon her arrival in Mexico city she found a completely different lifestyle, different ways of corporate communication, and, as it was expected, an operation a lot bigger than she was use to. Maria did what most people in her position: Resist change. She couldn’t understand her new boss, did not trust him or her new team to do things the ways she “always did”.

Many people find themselves in this situations when starting in a hole new labor market, particularly if its one as demanding and competed as Mexico City’s. The solution? Get to know your self.

It’s a bumpy road and there are many difficulties ahead, each boss represents a new challenge: difficult personality? he doesn’t communicate goals as clearly as expected?, no team feedback?, a lot of time out of the office?, switching course without prior notice?, etc.

Situations like this leave us only with two choices: learn and adapt (growth is always painful) or avoid difficulties by resigning and find a new job.

My advice: Take the challenge! Trust your boss’s decisions are based on sensitive explanations, communicate with your team and get ready to learn.

Achieving expected results will open a new and more direct line of communication with your superiors paving the road to professional growth. Developing communication skills, being able to acknowledge that you don’t know it all, adapting to different environments, learning to defend you point of view and select your battles are just some of the many qualities required for a top executive.

You might not get the results you where hoping for (there is a chance you boss is just incompetent) but you will have acquired all the MOST skills and find it a lot easier to adapt to a new working team should you decide to resign.

There will always be hard times and tough bosses, fortunately also best friends ready to lend you a shoulder in times of crisis! Good luck.