After this post, I had some folks asking for a “Things Executives or Managers Aren’t Thinking” post. Well, the Workplace Mojo lower-case-g gods have smiled upon you, so here you go…

As much as awful managers bother us all (even though we’ve all been that awful manager from time to time), I think sometimes execs and managers get lumped together and collectively get a bad rap. I mean, for the most part, it’s not like they’re all sitting around thinking:

1. I believe that I’ll intentionally make a bad decision in hopes that it will have a negative impact on most, if not all, of our employees.

2. I think I’ll suck at leading today. Like intentionally suck. I will be cognizant of the fact that I am not leading well, and I will continue leading poorly.

3. I love it when employees ask me to keep their feelings in mind but at the same time openly trash me to other employees. The reason it’s OK is because I, unlike everyone else in the company, don’t possess emotions.

4. What a relief it is when I ask for feedback and don’t get any. I’d much rather have folks talk about me behind my back. It’s less awkward that way.

5. It’s super easy knowing that almost every decision I make will tick off at least some portion of the team. Knowing it’s impossible for me to please everyone makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

6. I’m so glad that I rarely get the benefit of the doubt. I love that I can know with certainty that certain employees will assign negative intent to almost everything I say or do.

Being in a leadership position is tough more often than it’s easy. In fact, contrary to semi-popular belief, it can be a pretty difficult, lonely gig sometimes; even for the best of leaders. It’s good that we remind ourselves of this regularly.

You see, a lot of times it’s way easier to complain about our manager than it is to try to help them. It’s way less uncomfortable to talk negatively about them when they’re not around than it is to sit down with them and kindly explain what it is they’re doing that you’re struggling with understanding.

How often do you thank your boss? Once a week? Once a month? Once a year in a Christmas card? Do you ever at all?

How often do you just drop an encouraging word here or there? That sort of thing means just as much to them as it does to you.

When’s the last time you actually stuck up for a manager or executive when others were trashing him or her?

Do managers and executives make bad decisions sometimes? Of course they do. We all do. Wouldn’t it stink knowing that when you made your bad decisions, you were going to get raked over the coals by dozens of people you work with?

So let’s work on being more understanding of each other, wherever we find ourselves on the org chart.