Boss, Can I?

Here’s your typical employee mentality in a sentence:

“Boss I’ve got this great idea, please can I start a project?”

Often this question is followed by a quick “No”.

I’ve seen a lot doctors/nurses/admin staff etc rant and whine about being told “no” by their boss.  What I find baffling though is that I haven’t met a single one of them that really turns around and thinks about why they were told no.  They often go down the path of “blaming the system” or how their genius isn’t “appreciated”.

This is a classic case of Ignoratio Elenchi.

Here’s what your boss actually hears when you ask permission to do a project:

“Boss, I’ve got this great idea!  If it works then I get all the fame and glory.  If it doesn’t work then you’ll get all the blame for wasting time and money.”

Probably the main reason employees don’t ever come to realise that this is what their boss actually hears is because they can’t face the reality – that no one’s going to hold their hand.  After all, most employees have had their hand held through school, then university and then well into their professional lives.

The fact is that if you want to do something big in your life, then there has to be a moment where you take the leap and accept full responsibility for what happens.  You cannot demand authority, but you can accept responsibility.

If you’re in an organisation (not necessarily just healthcare) your options are to either just do your project and not let your boss know, or leave the organisation to do it.

Not willing to take the leap?  Then stop whining.