My boss recently got a huge promotion and now he’s bipolar. You’re probably thinking that a person can’t “catch” bipolar disease, but you’re wrong.
It happened within hours of the communication that was circulated throughout the company.
At my company all of the VPs and even the CEO suffer from some sort of bipolar disorder, so I wasn’t surprised when my boss was promoted and started showing the signs, it seems to come with the corner office.
§ Inflated self-esteem
§ Delusions (false ideas) of grandeur (greatness)
§ Feeling extremely happy, then very irritable
§ Quick/hastily made business decisions
§ Constantly jumps from subject to subject
And here’s the thing, if my boss was just a dick all the time I’d be better off. Instead I constantly walk on eggshells worrying about what frame of mind he’s going to be in and how it will ultimately affect my day.
So - is it inevitable that if we climb the corporate ladder we’ll be subjected to a cesspool of bipolar executives with dueling personalities?
All I know is that without warning my boss can blow up leaving me and my colleagues as collateral damage. What the hell!
I can so relate to the bipolar thing. I come into work every single day and wonder what battle I’ll have to fight. Life is good when the boss is laughing but things can change in a second! My beef is not that people are human and will react sometime when stressed; my beef is that people are not generally gracious and respectful to each other. I don’t care if you’re the Commandar in Cheif or the mailman; respectful interacts between each other is necessary for good mental health. And what do you get from an employee feeling worthly, respected and appreciated by higher up? You get respect back plus great productivity and heart felt loyalty. What more can you ask for.
I’ll tell you what you can ask for, is that you keep your job when the layoffs happen.
There are many things you can do to take control of your life and learning how to is part of the journey. The most important thing you can do for yourself is to stay balanced and that includes taking responsibility for your own well-being and being respectful to others in BizPain.