I’m sitting at the bar in the usual hotel, drinking my morning coffee. As always, I’m watching the same old circus. The hotel manager, driven by his own inner unrest and obsession with perfection, crushes his staff with hateful words. Why is he never satisfied? Is everything truly so wrong that he can’t notice the good or enjoy small things? All he hears is his own voice: You must do more. You must be better. And so he keeps pressing. How many of his employees couldn’t take it and left? How many have I seen lost in thought, tears welling in their eyes because of how he treats them? Yes, I’m one of them – and that’s why I know exactly what they’re feeling. I’ve felt it too.
“Come outside. Into the cold. Can you feel the sun gently warming your skin? It’s pleasant – it gives you energy to keep going. And yet, if it grew just a little stronger… life would end. Are you thirsty? Take water – it will soothe you. But it too can take your life in a second. It can destroy our homes, wipe away all we know. Your power in this place is not so different. You, too, can create balance – a space where flowers bloom and something extraordinary can grow. So why do you burn and flood every day, if what you long for is a garden? Or is your goal a heap of ash, mud, shouting, and grief?”
Despite how he seems on the outside, I feel – and I see – that this man is becoming very important in my life. He wants what’s good for me. He’s trying to make me a better professional and push my career forward. But it’s more than that. I can tell he treats me differently than the others. I know I matter to him – even personally. And he matters to me. I believe that might be my chance… to help him, too. To help him grow, and maybe become a better manager.
Often, especially at work, we only see people through the lens of the company. We believe that when we work, we’re doing something for them. But in truth, our work is for the benefit of the firm – and we’re paid for it. And even the boss is just a human. He needs to feel cared for, too. Maybe all he needs is someone to ask how he’s doing. Maybe just a coffee. A kind word. An invitation to play a quiet game of pool. We often complain, fail to understand – and miss our own flaws. But sometimes, it takes so little for everything to change.