What People REALLY Want to Say to Their Bosses (But Don’t)...
Dear [Boss's Name],
Just a quick note to say we all really appreciate your leadership. And by "appreciate," we mean:
🌞 The Morning Motivation Toolbox Pep Talks
What we think: "Is this a toolbox talk or an audition for a motivational speaker gig? Either way, please bring coffee next time we're only just out of bed."
What we want: We simply want clarity for the day ahead.
📨 Last-Minute 'Urgent' Emails
What we think: "Your 9 PM 'urgent' email is really just a gentle reminder that work-life balance is a myth."
What we want: respect for our home time boundaries, we don't want to have to "check" emails before sleepy nigh nighs, if it's really, really urgent, call.
🏏 Team-Building Activities
What we think: "Escape rooms are fun and all, but seriously how will this help us escape the real problems back at work?"
What we want: If you're taking our team off-site to play games because you can't stand to talk about what's really happening at work, can you just be a leader and help us talk about the truth of what's going on?
🚪 Open-Door Policy
What we think: "The door might be open, but our will to walk through it is closed. Out of sight, out of mind. Just saying."
What we want: Instead of just telling me what to do could you stop, listen and better yet, ask. Show me, listen to me, validate me when I come for help.
⏲Surprise 'Quick Chats'
What we think: "Your 'quick chat' is neither quick nor chatty. In fact, when you ask me for a quick chat it raises my anxiety levels immediately kind of like when you see police lights flashing in the rear view mirror."
What we want: Be clear first on what this is about eg: "We just had feedback on that new design, I need to reply, so can we discuss quickly?"
✅ Performance Reviews
What we think: "Your feedback is valuable, like a rare collectible. We're just not sure if it's going up in value."
What we want: Can we just chat more regularly rather than this abominable build up to D day?
👖 Casual Fridays
What we think: "Yay, jeans, I haven't washed all week!"
What we want: Could you just be more real, authentic and human with me all week? Please don't dictate how I should be “relaxed” on Friday: “No torn clothing. No spaghetti straps."
NOTE: Casual Friday's started in Hawaii in the 1960s; in a bid to sell more aloha shirts, not to help employees feel more relaxed.
🔤 Office Jargon
What we think: "Synergy, bandwidth, moving forward and leverage...Bingo!"
What we want: Please just be smart, be brief, and more real. Thank you.
But in all seriousness, we know you mean well and we’re grateful for your support. Keep up the good work... just maybe lay off the 9 PM emails. 😉
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Leaders we can do better don’t you think?
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