I’m not sure when this became a “thing” but it’s a day to honor your superior. It may be a day you’ve been looking forward to because you have a boss you really want to celebrate. It may also be a day you find yourself with a sudden case of pink eye, contagious, can’t make it in today… *cough*
How does this relate to dog world? YOU are you dog’s boss. You are responsible for setting the agenda and goals, designing the course, driving the motivation to achieve success, resetting the structure if it’s not working and celebrating a job well done. Your dog is counting on you to be the leader he wants to follow; to be the leader he will set aside his own fears and insecurities for because he trusts you so completely. Are you that leader?
Think about the bosses you’ve had in your lifetime. Who has engendered your anger? Pity? Respect? Who would you follow into danger because you had faith in their judgement?
I guarantee that, for me, it is not Jason. He was an assistant manager at McDonald’s where I worked in high school. He was a terribly nice man. Too nice. He was a total pushover. He allowed liberal phone privileges, (this was before cell phones!), he ignored the vast amount of free food disguised as waste being handed out to our friends, he believed us when we said we made the wrong change all the while that cash was in our pockets, he tolerated blatant disrespect and ignored basic standards because he was unwilling to assign dreaded duties. I loved working a shift under him because I got my $4.00 an hour to basically fool around and laugh with my friends. Looking back, I can understand why he got fired and I pity him for being so keen on being liked that he didn’t bother to do his job. I even resent him a little for allowing my 16-year-old self to be such an asshole. Eventually I learned my lesson but I could have used that education much sooner.
As well, I can’t count Maria among bosses I would honor today. She was horrid, I worked as an after-hours triage operator and staff trainer for her. She micromanaged our every minute, talked down to and demeaned her staff, changed the schedule on a whim and then held us responsible for not following it and refused to allow any opinion other than her own to be considered. I hated that job so much only because of her. It was emotionally satisfying- and sometimes devastating- to take calls from people in medical crisis and help them to determine if they needed to go to the ER, speak to the doctor on call or wait until the morning when the office opened. I loved training new operators to do the same. I hated working for Maria.
Who did I adore? Troy and Kay. My boss and grandboss. They were fair, consistent, respectful and clear. They gave me the objective and the tools I needed and then got out of my way to get the job done. When I reached, they encouraged me to go for it. When I overstepped, they pulled me back. I worked for them for four years and they engendered so much confidence in my abilities that I took a chance and left them for greener pastures. Big mistake. Huge. But that’s for another blog. I appreciate them so much that I’m tempted to send them each a little something to celebrate the day.
If your dog was writing this blog, which boss would you be?
Are you a Jason who tells him he is wonderful even as he’s breaking all of the rules and being blatantly disrespectful?
Are you a Maria who offers only corrections and disdain, never any acknowledgement of your good choices?
I hope not. I hope you are a Troy or a Kay. I hope you guide and educate your dog to the proper behavior. I hope you praise and reward their good choices and I hope you drop the hammer when they make a poor choice. It’s that balance that makes your dog want to give you the very best he has to offer. It’s that confidence he has in himself that only comes from having confidence in you. Be the leader your dog wants to follow.
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