Working for Myself: Meet my Crazy New?Boss

Quite possibly the toughest boss I have ever had. But also arguably the best.

When I started working for myself, one of things I looked forward to was the change of boss. My previous bosses had been a mix of too-dumb or too-smart, and invariably miserly with appreciation. But I had heard good things about this new guy and was hopeful that he would really understand and appreciate me.

But here I am. Working seven days a week. Day and night.

He’s on my case right from the moment I gain consciousness in the morning. There is no relenting until he finally gets me in front of my laptop. By then he’s just warming up. Nagging me till all the day’s work is completed and done well. Getting me to recheck every single tiny detail. Pushing me till way past the wolves start howling to “make it even better” even though it is the best I have ever done.

Spend more than five minutes on YouTube and I get a reminder from him. Spend a little more time chilling at the coffee break and I end up regretting every extra second. I can almost never ask him to move something to tomorrow, because then it’s a full-on guilt-trip about lacking responsibility.

Even lunch breaks are no longer off-limits. He gets ideas and inspiration from anything ranging from a song to a salad, and the next thing you know he’s pulled me away from a half-eaten delicious burger. My family is annoyed at him too, because he has spoiled a couple of family outings this way. The thing is, I understand the excitement of a new idea and the thrill of seeing it come to life. But can't it wait for just a few minutes so that I can finish my sandwich and conversation in comfort. Unfortunately, he believes that his life aspirations are more important than my quotidian pleasures.

The unkindest impact has been on the time with my gorgeous large-screen TV and all my streaming services. In my earlier jobs, this was my respite and my rehab, that kept me going through the never-ending days at the cubicle farm. Now, though I’m at home all day, I can only look at the TV from across the room wistfully, maybe choking back a tear. I so want to spend hours and hours on that couch till the point mushrooms start growing on me. However, the new boss hates interruptions, and then refuses to help when I start work again.

Yes, I did once sit him down and talk to him about it. Even my wife joined in that conversation — it was getting that bad. I explained to him that while I really appreciated his direction, his energy, and his ideas, I needed some freedom to do things my way. He got so upset that he didn’t turn up for work for the next three days. I heard he wiped out nearly every pizzeria in the area and crashed the nearest Netflix server.

He doesn’t take criticism well at all. It took a whole lot of persuasion and promises to convince him to return.

This was supposed to be my dream job. Working for myself should have been not only the easiest, but also the most fun arrangement ever. Instead it’s harder than any boss I could have imagined, and the fun is mostly for him, not me.

Then again, the new boss knows how to get the best out of me. I have never produced better work than I do now, and I feel refreshingly proud of what I have done. I sleep fitfully but contentedly, if that makes sense. His interruptions notwithstanding, I have a lot more flexibility for family time. He smartly involves me so deeply in anything I work on, no matter how small, that I become utterly committed to making it succeed.

And if and when accolades come our way, he steps aside and ensures that all bouquets only come to me. He’s genuinely quite happy to stand on the sidelines while I stand centre-stage and soak in the applause.

Then, he’s back early the next morning with his next big idea even while I’m still getting out of bed. Somebody needs to tell this guy to get a life.

Until the next time, you stay cool and keep building a better life.

Arif Mansuri writes, coaches, facilitates and does whatever executives in MNCs do.

 For more of his work, served in smaller doses, also follow him on twitter @ArifMansuri006.

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