Postcard from Bishkek

I’ve said it before … and, no doubt, I will say it again, and again: “Every day is a special day for somebody.”

It may be their birthday or an anniversary, … or it may be a public holiday or a religious festival, … or it may be a specially designated day which is intended to focus public attention on to a particular issue, … or it may be, what is sometimes called a Hallmark Day – an opportunity for manufacturers of greeting cards, florists, confectioners etc. to increase sales by targeting specific groups … and here in Kyrgyzstan we have inherited a system of professional holidays designed to commemorate and celebrate the work of those who work in a specific field.

Now, the people of Kyrgyzstan love to take any opportunity to hold a celebration, so these Professional Holidays rarely pass unnoticed … The President, Prime Minister  and Speaker may issue statements “congratulating” those working in the field of whatever on their professional holiday, thanking them for their efforts and stressing how important they are even if, at times, this is not so obvious to the general population.  There may be special announcements in the media.

Most people will simply congratulate the appropriate people on their special day, although some may also give them small gifts: flowers, chocolates, perhaps a bottle of Vodka or Champagne.  Maybe people will go out for a meal or organize a party for themselves and their colleagues.

As well as our own list of officially approved days, we often “borrow” such days from places like Russia, as in the case of Programmers’ day, (September 13th – the 256th day of the year), which is officially recognized there – but not here … still, that doesn’t stop people from “congratulating” each other and celebrating.

Well, today is one such day that we haven’t adopted … yet … : Boss’s Day . Boss’s Day is a secular “holiday” which is celebrated on October 16 in the United States and Canada and is now also observed in countries as far apart as Australia, Egypt (albeit on December 10th), India, Ireland, and South Africa. It is also noted in Russia, (I first came across it on a Russian website – although they also have the professional holiday Day of the General Director on 28th September).

Unlike some of these “holidays”, we know a little bit of the background to this one. The idea apparently began in 1958, when Patricia Bays Haroski, (who was then employed at the State Farm Insurance Company in Deerfield, Illinois), registered the holiday with the United States Chamber of Commerce.   She chose October 16 as the date for this special day simply because it was her father’s birthday.

Interestingly, she was, apparently, working for her father at the time.  Hmmmm.

Her purpose was to designate a day to show appreciation for her boss and other bosses, (but, apparently, she also hoped to improve the relationship between employees and supervisors – which sounds as if, even if she had a good relationship with her bosses, it wasn’t necessarily a universal feature of life in that particular neck of the woods.  However, it is said that this day has traditionally been one for employees to thank their bosses for being “kind and fair” throughout the year.

Four years later, in 1962, the Governor of Illinois, Otto Kerner backed the initiative and officially proclaimed the day as an official professional holiday to be commemorated in the State.

Some time later, in 1979, Hallmark Cards adopted the holiday and produced a Boss’ Day card for sale and although I can’t find any production statistics, apparently the numbers they have sold has risen over the years.

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Now, with my varied background, (teacher, religious studies, psychology, mathematics, statistics, computing and information technology, trade unionist, tourism, hospitality, entrepreneur and businessman … boss), I have a range of professional holidays that I can choose between.

I am not sure, however, that I like the idea of celebrating “Boss’ Day” … it sounds a bit sycophantic.  On the other hand … it does seem to have some good points worth considering …

• it reminds us that basses should be “kind and fair” to their employees and subordinates … (a boss does not have to be an employer – they could simply be a supervisor);
• relationships are vital – there is a saying that working with people is the most difficult aspect of almost any and every job;
• bosses are just part of a team – they can’t do everything themselves and rely just as much on the efforts of their “subordinates” as their subordinates rely upon them and the decisions that they take;
• to get the best out of employees and subordinates they need to feel appreciated and respected;

 

Some people seem to think that being a boss is easy – you just have to sit back and take decisions.

Even if someone is the boss, they don’t have a monopoly on what is the right thing to do in any given situation – Oh, there may be times when it is necessary to say “No questions, no arguments, we’ll just do things my way”… for example, when a decision has been finally been reached, or it is a point of principle … but, generally, it is a recipe for disaster.

It may look like that – but being the boss carries an awful lot of responsibility as well as a lot of kudos.  A friend of mine has just started their own business and although they have worked in a senior position for several years, with overall responsibility for the day to day running of their department, they have never had the “final voice” – there has always been someone to fall back on for advice and to take ultimate responsibility for the “difficult decisions” … those that affect the business and the livelihoods of the people that they employ.

It’s an important skill to be able to seek out advice, to listen to different opinions and consider alternatives … then have the courage to make an informed decision that may, or may not, go against your initial reactions on the basis of what you have heard.

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Oh, yes … and

• even the boss needs to feel appreciated!

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Tags: Business, Calendar