It matters who you think your boss is. Most people think that is a clear cut question, it’s the person who is in authority over you. Just look at the org chart and you’ll see who that is, right? But who you work for isn’t always, and shouldn’t be, determined by org charts. Instead, it’s important to separate who is in authority over you, from who it is you are trying to please.
Why is this important? Because if you are working just to please the person in authority over you then you’ll be negatively affected by these factors:
1. Bad Boss. If you are trying to please the authority over, but that person is a knucklehead, then you’ll always feel like you’ve been given a bum deal.
2. Changing Bosses. In some companies, bosses change regularly. Trying to please one boss will get you in trouble with the next boss, who is brought in to fix what the previous boss screwed up. Worse still, you’ll be yo-yo’d up and down by whomever happens to supervise you this week.
3. Ethical fluctuations. Trying to please immoral bosses will get you tied in knots inside. Since you are working for them, in your mind, you must do what they say. You’ll end up going backwards on your values and feeling horrible about yourself.
A better way would be to always work for yourself in the most basic sense, and for God in a greater, more spiritual perspective. Working for yourself doesn’t mean you pursue selfish ends, or that you are the end all of authority, it means that you take responsibility for your work, your values, and your career path. Working for God doesn’t mean that you’re in the ministry, it means that you are working to make a difference in a greater arena than commerce, or the practical aspects of your job.
You will always have people in authority over you, in fact the higher you go the more people you will have to answer to for your performance, but you must never get caught up in working for someone else. Do your best work, regardless of who your supervisor is. Make a difference regardless of who is watching, or if no one is watching at all.
David Curry
