How to be a boss, without being an arse

Once upon a time, there was a man who was talented and hard working…

(It's usually a man.)

He did valuable work for his clients. He looked after them. They loved him.

And because the clients loved him, his firm loved him.

He was bringing in a LOT of work…

So they promoted him.

Gave him people to ORDER AROUND.

But no training to speak of. (It wasn't that kind of firm. A bit old-fashioned.)

So he ordered the younger, less qualified people around. Gave them a taste of the same kind of hell he'd been given when HE was younger…

(Didn't do him any harm, right?)

And the younger people did the work, as instructed. Clients were largely happy.

His work was regularly written up in trade magazines. Sometimes he was mentioned by name in national papers, too.

He was rewarded. Bonus after bonus…

A better office, with a view of the City and a corner of the Thames…

More people to order around…

In short, he was quite a success.

But our hero (and he WAS a hero, of sorts) felt a bit… MEH.

Something wasn't right.

He would never have said this to anybody, but he felt a bit LONELY.

For instance, he noticed that the people who reported to him had a habit of running to the toilet to hide whenever he came round.

They requested transfers for no clear reason.

What was their problem?!

Can't get the staff these days…

But over time he came to think about his own part in this.

Maybe there was something he could do differently.

“CONTINUED…”: