“We all have to deal with one sooner or later!”
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Movie Synopsis:
Nick
(Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day) and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) are workers who
would like nothing better than to grind their oppressive employers into the
dirt. Quitting their jobs is not an option, so -- fueled by alcohol and dubious
advice from a criminal (Jamie Foxx) -- the men devise a complex and seemingly
foolproof plan to permanently rid themselves of their terrible bosses. The
problem is, any plan is only as clever as the brains behind it.
Scenario:
Nick is in his boss’ office playing the game of “whatever it
takes” to get the promotion. What he
hasn’t figured out is that his boss is just abusing his power and has no
intention of promoting Nick
Selected Scene:
Dave Harken: Oh! You want?
Nick Hendricks: It’s eight fifteen a.m.!
Dave Harken: What? Is there something wrong with a manager drinking in the morning?
Nick Hendricks: No. Thank you. Sure. Thanks.
Dave Harken: Bottoms up.
Nick Hendricks: Nothing for you?
Dave Harken: Nick, it’s eight fifteen in the morning, I’m not an alcoholic.
Nick Hendricks: Mr. Harken, the only reason I took one because I thought you were gonna have one, so…
Dave Harken: You took one because you thought I was gonna have one? Is that something you think a senior V.P. would do?
Nick Hendricks: I was just trying to be polite.
Business Tip:
In all the relationships you will experience in your life, likely the most one-sided of all is the one you’ll have with a boss. Your
relationship with your boss can be tricky, it all depends on his/her style and
professional goals. Unfortunately, many
bosses are like Dave Harken and you are at the mercy of their control and
incompetence. Now you can nip this in
the bud and do a little research and turn down a position on their team or you
can minimize the issues by coming out of the blocks with a few personal
parameters. So, first let’s talk about the research part. Before accepting a job on his/her team do a
little digging around and ask a few probing questions to the recruiter or
directly to the boss (ex., Team turnover rate? Philosophy on promotions? Do
they micro-manage?). I’ve found it helpful to review articles or previous
speeches to see how they reference staff support or acknowledge team
members. If it’s all about them, meaning
“I did this, I did that, I will make it happen, etc.” well, you know what
you’re going to get in a boss and what they’ll expect from you—nothing short of
jumping on grenades for them! Setting parameters is probably the best approach,
no matter what the situation. By managing expectations in the beginning, you
minimize the opportunity for abuse down the road. Make no mistake, a boss is still at the top of the food chain, however, this doesn't mean you have to eat leftovers all the time! I’ll leave you with this reminder, people
quit their bosses, not their jobs…and extermination is NOT an option!
