Is it easier if you hate your boss?

Seriously. If I didn't like my boss so much, the conversation I had to have would have been so much easier... I resigned.

Our small firm had changed a lot over the past three and half years--and I do mean A LOT. On one hand, it seems like that's not much time to be in the same job. On the other hand, it felt like I'd been there forever. Through all of the changes I've weathered with my boss, I've grown to be a sort of "right hand" to him. We trust each other. He cares about me as a person, and vice versa. I've always been dedicated to him and the business. But something changed recently that sent me on this new path...

Making a transition was on my mind for a couple months. My boss was out of the country on a well deserved vacation, and I was at the office keeping the company going with the rest of my small team. The stress came on slowly, right before he left, and I thought I could manage it once he was gone. But after he left it hit me like a tornado--I didn't know which way was up.

I went to the other two managers and told them I needed help, as I didn't feel I was getting enough support. But I didn't get help. What I did get a week later, as I was coming out of my own personal hell after weeks of chiropractic and acupuncture treatment, was confirmation that my stress was being felt by them and the rest of the team. So I left the office to work from home for the rest of the week.

My new mantra became, "I can either be stressed, or just say 'fuck it'" which later I realized was a sign. You see, I am a quality focused individual. And my co-managers are quantity focused. When people would fail to clean up a huge lunch buffet from a training and let our office look, quite frankly, disgusting, it was always me who would initiate cleaning. When payments had to be made, if I didn't do it, it didn't get done (I couldn't even trust anyone else to simply put a check in the mail). Everyone was stressed, understandably. But I went to my team for support, and that was held against me. I realized my connection wasn't to the business or my teammates, but to my boss.

It's truly a wonderful thing to have such a great relationship with your boss. But you have to remember to do what's best for yourself. What do you want from your job? Monetary growth? Learning opportunities? Management experience? If you love your job--that's awesome. Just make sure you love it for yourself, not out of obligation to anyone else.

The Customer is NOT Always Right

Today one of my good friends called me and said she was feeling beat down. She's running an extreme sport business, after many years with some of the most elite luxury brands in the country. One would expect a certain amount of challenging customers, but the issues she's had lately are over the top.

One woman swore she bought something several months ago, but didn't have any kind of receipt. My friend, who is very organized, searched her records but didn't find anything. My friend wanted to be able to help this woman, but when you run a business there are certain rules you have to have regarding returns, exchanges, and credits. This is not news to consumers. It's like "no shirt, no shoes, no service"--common sense (although I find that becoming more rare lately).

Another man called her on a day the business was closed and said he was standing outside and wanted to skydive "right now" and wasn't going tandem (meaning he wanted to jump alone, which they don't offer and clearly communicate on their website and social media). He was flat out rude. No hello, no questions, just dictated to her what he was going to do.

She asked me why I thought people acted like this, because these are only 2 examples of at least 5 she gave me, and I was dealing with a similar situation with a client as well. I said it's because we've proclaimed this message that "the customer is always right," but we now live in a "bully society" where people get what they want by being direct and threatening whatever retaliation is in their power. And often, businesses cave to this pressure because it's easier than fighting it.

After 15 years of working in customer-facing roles, I have news--the customer IS NOT always right. I have an expectation that an adult will act with general manners and courtesy, and in return, people in customer service positions should be treating their clients in a grateful, welcomed manner. But one without the other doesn't work. Usually I'm up in arms about horrible customer service, but today, it's the other way around, because I believe most people do work hard and care about their businesses. It's time consumers took a look in the mirror and considered what it would be like if they were being spoken to the way they speak.

*steps down from soapbox*