One of the things that contribute to negative feelings between labor and management is the idea that the other person is all evil, all stupid and stands for everything that is wrong with this world. None of us believe that, but the way society operates, we always have this tendency to define people outside of our own group as being inferior.

Lately, one of the people from management has been working closely with me on some research issues, they are also spending more time on the floor than before. I did not like this person after I started working here. I felt she was pompous, condescending and just not a nice person.

I've watched this person up close and talked to them a lot more than before. I actually have a grudging respect for them. Not for their towering intellect, or their great people skills. They don't really have either. They aren't an idiot, but they are so incredibly sure of themselves that they walk right into all kinds of stupid situations because they won't listen to other people. They are just a real "thickie", sort of like Basil Fawlty on Fawlty Towers. They think everyone around them are children and that they are the only one that can lead us through to do the right thing.

I used to struggle with really disliking this person, but not anymore. The difference is that I can see their human side. All of the screw ups they do, its out of a sincere heart. She doesn't mean to come across as uncaring, it's just her way. She really wants the company to do well, and she puts a lot of energy into it. She has let her guard down enough, that I can see beyond that "management armor" so many bosses wear, so I can see who she really is. It makes it much easier to work for her, because any evil she does, is not on purpose, she's just not that bright.

What makes me sad is there are so many other managers here that I just can't wrap my understanding around why they are such assholes. If I could understand where they are coming from, I wouldn't have so many struggles with bad feelings toward this company.

That's all people want from their bosses sometimes, just explain things to us. Don't make us beg for feedback, or beg for you to explain things to us. We're all pretty smart, if you could bring us along when you can, we wouldn't all wonder if you're just passing the crack pipe around the room as you make decisions that affect us.

Thanks for reading,

AC