Dear Mojo,
I am at my wits end. I have a boss, who has been a dear friend of mine for years, who is driving me crazy. He is completely unstructured, runs hot and cold and I never know where I stand with him. I am continually given instructions that I believe are off the top of his head while he is distracted by other things. Then when I follow through with those stated instructions, he yells at me and says he changed his mind.
Worried and Crazed
Georgia
Dear Worried,
It sounds like your boss is breaking one of the most important Mojo Jewels to live by: Never go on your first reaction. Did you know our first reaction is always purely emotional? The problem with that is, when provoked, your emotions have no calendar in the brain bank. Therefore when a situation arises that makes you angry there are thousands of memories that flow to the surface to fuel a reaction that may not be merited for the current situation. I often have to get myself to my 12th reaction before it makes sense to me. That’s a lot of emotions to lasso before my mouth opens.
Try to make an appointment with your boss away from the office if possible. It sounds like he is taking advantage of your friendship and mistreating you. Owning a business today is extremely stressful. You may want to ask him to find another punching bag or you will find another job. But of course, make sure you have one set up already with a boss who can treat employees fairly.
All my best,
Dear Mojo
ask@dearmojo.com