The Boss is always right
- Gurvinder Singh
- Aug 25, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 10
It was in 1502 C.E. that the egotistic mayor of Florence (Italy), Piero Soderini, was under great pressure.
He had appointed a novice to work on a giant piece of beautiful marble to make a sculpture under his guidance.
Typical of many bosses, Soderini had overestimated his own capabilities, and by drilling a big hole in the middle of the block of marble, Soderini and the novice had ruined it.
Soderini was desperate to find a solution, and finally managed to commission Michelangelo to do a sculpture. Michelangelo agreed and, using the available shape, decided to sculpt a young David with a sling in his hand.
A few weeks later, as the statue was finished, Soderini came to see the sculpture for himself. Soderini was pleased with what he saw. However, like most patrons and bosses, Soderini felt the urge to impose his ideas and have the last word. Soderini instructed Michelangelo to change the shape of the nose because it was too big.
Michelangelo grasped the situation immediately. He realised that Soderini was making this statement because of the situation in which the latter stood in front of the statue.
Nevertheless, Michelangelo appeared to study the situation for several minutes, and after a little while, nodded to Soderini his agreement.
Michelangelo climbed up the scaffold, and upon reaching the face of the statue, picked up a hammer and chisel and discreetly some marble dust in his fist.
He went to the nose and appeared to start tapping his chisel on the nose while letting the collected dust slowly fall from his fist.
After a while of this charade, Michelangelo moved Soderini to a vantage point to admire the statue and asked for an opinion from his patron. After a few minutes of examination, Soderini congratulated Michelangelo for making a great improvement and, in a voice filled with admiration, said, "I love it, you have made it come alive."
All were pleased, and everyone lived happily ever after. The world still admires the masterpiece even today.
Michelangelo was an artist and a genius. He understood the power equation between his Patron and himself. Without compromising on the quality of his work and without any fuss, he appeased Soderini and satiated his ego.
Bosses and Customers generally have fragile egos. Arguing and fighting with them always extracts heavy costs, in resources, quality and time.
Patience and tact, even cunning, are essential ingredients in the recipe for success. They make the boss and customer feel valued and convinces them that it is their success as much as it is your own, and they are, as usual, right.
In addition to the boss at work, there are usually 4 additional bosses who must be satiated. They are customers, parents, teachers, and spouse (partner).
Bosses generally tend to have big egos, and they are always keen to demonstrate their power. Exerting undue pressure bosses like to poke their noses and interfere in every activity but never take responsibility for outcomes.
Whether one obeys or disobeys there is bound to be trouble. Conflict with a boss complicates life and it never ends well.
Let the boss also share the taste of success. One has to use tact to make the boss feel he or she is right and yet we must be true to oneself.
From my seminar on 'Achieving Success'
Success is made of many ingredients; some are inherent in our character, and some cultivated. Awareness and approach are two traits that can be developed.
To facilitate development of these and other traits, Guru Wonder conducts a one and two day program on 'Achieving Success'
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