My Boss is a Jerk

He never lets up on me.

When I make a mistake, he dwells on it more than anyone should.

He never acknowledges my efforts – he just wants and expects MORE.

I feel like I have to wake up early and work late – just to make the guy happy.

Nothing is ever good enough.

We never get to celebrate when there is that rare “win” at work.

I wonder --- does he even know what a win looks like?

At the end of every day, I feel like I should have done more.

Frustrating!

The saddest part of all of this…

I’m self-employed.

Part of the challenge of being my own boss is to become a better boss to myself.

Learning to give myself permission to make a mistake, learn from it and MOVE ON is something I’m working on.

It’s what I’ve always done with people that report to me. Why not me?

I work with a lot of owners of companies that are also jerks – to themselves.

They have compassion and belief in their people and will do almost anything to help them succeed.

In fact, some are so nice that they inspire me.

They reward their team members. Pat them on the back. Celebrate their wins.

They are good leaders to their teams.

Yet, very few take the time to feel good about their own efforts.

They support growth in their team but rarely invest in themselves for personal growth.

They want to get better but are so wrapped up doing the work of running a company that their own development suffers.

I’ve found that the folks that invest in themselves – continuous learning and development – are better leaders to their teams as well as themselves.

Keep learning – Keep reading --- Keep developing.

Make mistakes. Admit them. Reflect briefly to learn. MOVE ON.

Stop being a jerk.