Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 5:31PM Crazy days at The Office are a thing of the past, but what about for you? Tips on surviving a wacky boss.
Do you work for a quirky boss?
Last week marked the end of the long-running, award-winning NBC series hit, The Office, starring Steve Carell as the quirky--and sometimes down-right insane--boss at Dunder Mifflin Paper Supply Company in Scranton, PA. The series drew a large audience over its lifetime, because the show was built on a reality that wasn't necessarily that far away from what many people experience, to some degree, everyday. It is said that the genius of good comedy is the introduction of a healthy dose of real-life elements, else it's not all the funny.
I was interviewed by Brian Crandall from NBC's WJAR Channel 10 in Providence, on the topic of "how to deal with a crazy boss"--presumably one that might come close to what Steve Carell would be like in real-life. Well, I passed on that tall order, but I did talk about what it means to be around a less-than-perfect boss--which describes just about everyone who we've ever worked for.
Everyone thinks they'd be a better boss than the one they have.
By the way, if the truth were known, when you or I are called on be in charge, well, let's face it: Each of us in our own way are--or would be--less-than-perfect bosses as well! So, in all fairness, there's no need, really, for faulty-finding here--we're all either subject-to or subject-to-be less than ideal managers!
Brian and I talked for about 30 minutes in my office about quirky bosses and what you'll see below is what that half-hour got distilled to. All in all, he and the editors did a great job of getting the take-away points right. [For what's they're worth, I'm writing up my thoughts on the subject, which I'll share with you down the road another day, in another context. But for today, I'll share last Thursday's clip for you to take in.]
Hey, which boss were you referring to?
Since the clip aired, I've had friends and strangers walk up to me and say, "Hey, I saw you on TV the other night--you're the guy who talked about handling wacky bosses." The interesting part to me is that the people who I know--and who I work with--almost invariably ask a follow-up question as well: "By the way, which of your bosses did you have in mind when you gave that advice???"
As you might guess, I reply to both questions with exactly the same response, "Yeah, I was the guy on TV talking about bosses."
Here's the clip--and good luck at your office; there just may be a tip here for you.
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Reader Comments (2)
Boy - did I need this today! Thanks for all your wisdom!
Are you speaking to me and my current situation? Good advise. Ohhhh can I only take it.