“Who is your boss?”
I agree, it should be an easy question to answer. But, you might be surprised how when some people are asked the question, they hum and haw and then ask you for a definition of the word “boss.”
I’ve learned a great deal from my Marine friends over the years. And, one senior Marine gave me some fantastic advice about how to be successful in any job. He said that everyone needed to be able to answer two questions: the first question is “who is your boss?” (I’ll share his second question in a future posting.)
So, I’ll ask it again, “Who is your boss?” Now, here’s the tougher issue: Do our words and deeds support our answer?
When our three granddaughters were young, we took them on a week-long vacation every June. One year, we had a great discussion about “bosses.” Granddad explained to them that everyone had a boss. (He was probably responding to a comment of “You’re not the boss of me,” a line we really didn’t like to hear.) The girls were very surprised that even Granddad had a boss!
But, not everyone acts as if they have a boss. I’ve heard an insolent store clerk, in an argument with their supervisor, state that their actual boss was the customer and not the individual in front of them who paid their salary. And, once an angry telephone “customer service” agent replied that they were the end of the road when it came to resolving a complaint, they had no boss.
Let’s forget for a moment who calls us “boss” and think about the individual we call “boss.” Do we fulfill the Biblical commands regarding our service, our attitudes toward our boss?
- Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority….Do this so that their work will be a joy, and not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. (Hebrews 13:17)
- Put away all malice and deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. (I Peter 2:1)
- Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, and honor the emperor. (I Peter 2:17)
- Acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you… Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. (I Thessalonians 5:12-13)
- So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all of the glory of God. (I Corinthians 10:31)
So, who is our boss? Are we giving them our best and faithful service? C. G. Jung wrote “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.”
Remember, everyone has a boss.
Dr. Carla Jill Stein 
If you are like most people, you have more than one boss. We can choose to make God the “boss” of our spiritual life. We have a boss at work, Some of us have a boss at home. Some have other bosses besides these. They idea that youth have sometimes that when they grow up they will be their own boss and do whatever they want is a total misnomer. Even if you own your own business, someone will be telling you what to do, many times that will be the government via regulations.
James, Thanks for your insights – great thoughts. For the Christian, God is always our “boss” and so much more! Praise His name!! And, just as Jesus said to the disciples that they were to render unto Caesar what was Caesar’s, we have a duty to be faithful to our earthly “bosses.” We must live, ready to account for our deeds and words. Cheers, Jill
Even PIPS and Players! ; – } I LOVE YOU!!!! Tracie
Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 02:16:52 +0000 To: tmoore414@hotmail.com
Tracie, Agreed! Sometimes volunteer organizations can be the most challenging in identifying leaders. It’s not that we don’t need leaders or that we don’t have qualified leaders, it’s just that we don’t identify them by name to the other volunteers or to even the leaders themselves! When taken to the extreme, that failure in establishing order can create unnecessary and dangerous chaos. Jill