As a Midshipman, I was once assigned to a Navy tugboat in Norfolk called in to assist a cruiser navigate the channel. When we came alongside I was on the rail and the cruiser's immensely large grey hull loomed huge just scant feet away from my face. I looked up and saw scrawled on her side in faint, foot-high letters a very terse, "F*ck the Navy!"
I had to laugh. In my mind I pictured a sailor slung over the ship's side in a bosun's chair having a very bad day. Since you can't just quit the Navy, this sailor satisfied himself with lodging the most epic, passive aggressive complaint he could - defacing a multibillion dollar piece of government property.
I've often wondered what set him off. Monotonous months at sea? Lack of privacy? Denied leave request? Dangling from a rope 30 feet above the waterline with a fear of heights? Likely, his issue was not with the Navy itself, but with his lead petty officer or boss.
What makes a good boss? One of my Navy instructors constantly drilled into our class that one of our primary responsibilities was to protect our people. If a hammer blow was coming down from the brass, we were to unflinchingly place ourselves between it and our men. Great bosses advocate for and safeguard their team. Praise is lavish and public while reprimands are measured and private. By identifying and nurturing the strengths of each individual, they elevate the crew's performance to levels they never knew they could achieve.
Unfortunately, the reverse is also true. While incompetence is definitely a detractor, in my observation a primary fallacy of bad leaders is ego. I've encountered supervisors who were fond of proclaiming, "I'm the boss." To paraphrase George R.R. Martin, anyone who constantly says, "I'm the boss" isn't much of a boss. A mentality of "What can you do for me?" gives rise to selfish and ungrateful actions, and these dictatorial noobs systematically dismantle a team's cohesion and morale until it shatters. Individuals scatter in every direction in an attempt to get away from ground zero. You don't quit the job, you quit your boss.
Unfortunately, the reverse is also true. While incompetence is definitely a detractor, in my observation a primary fallacy of bad leaders is ego. I've encountered supervisors who were fond of proclaiming, "I'm the boss." To paraphrase George R.R. Martin, anyone who constantly says, "I'm the boss" isn't much of a boss. A mentality of "What can you do for me?" gives rise to selfish and ungrateful actions, and these dictatorial noobs systematically dismantle a team's cohesion and morale until it shatters. Individuals scatter in every direction in an attempt to get away from ground zero. You don't quit the job, you quit your boss.
Periodically, I've found myself in high stress, thankless jobs. When new guys joined the team I'd take them aside, give them the lay of the land, and offered them a singular piece of advice. "Do some soul searching and determine your personal bullsh*t threshold. If you ever exceed that extremity because of this job or its personalities, for the sake of your physical and mental health, walk away."
Johnny Paycheck came onto the country scene as another crooner. With the rise of "Outlaw Country" spearheaded by the likes of Jennings, Cash, and Nelson, he rebranded himself and joined their ranks. Rather than just "walk away", his 1977 single, "Take This Job and Shove It", encouraged disenchanted employees to be a little more bombastic in their departure. Tellingly, it hit number one in both the US and Canada and unfortunately may not be an optimistic indicator of the ratio of good bosses to bad. If you find yourself in a position of authority, as a personal favor, do what you can to ensure the ratio tilts towards the positive.
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