Don't boss me

I am a big fan of the phrase "you're not the boss of me!". Used by my father so many years ago (not without some consequences, I'm sure), it is a family favorite. I say it to my Better Half, I say it to my friends, the weather... I even say it to myself!

Sometimes though... sometimes it's good to have a boss. My boss for the last five years began as an interim boss. Things did not work out well, and he continued to fill in until the "interim" was dropped. But he's done at the end of June... and the search to fill the position has failed (again). So... no Boss.

No Boss, no plan for how to tackle next year. I won't have a summer to bring someone up to speed on our operating budget, the interesting patchwork of funding that keeps us afloat and keeps our 25-30 full time folks paid. A plan for equipment and technology replacement? Nope. A leader's input and implementation assistance with a new model of program budget management? Nope. Staff needs? Huh-uh. I promised my staff we'd have a planning retreat when the new Boss was hired. I still owe them a retreat, but I feel horrible that that time will be spent on more "surviving in leadership limbo" conversations. I love my coworkers - we could do great things together. We already do, but it could be better and more rewarding. How do you operate in a hierarchical system when one of the crucial pieces is missing?

I'm tired of getting no supervision, and not being able to implement long term plans. I think I'm experiencing a form of atrophy because I'm unable to provide a Boss with the benefit of my experience. And there's not a darn thing I can do about it.

I've got to go. When I turn off this computer, I'm going to take my kitchen store gift certificate and spend it on something completely impractical. Retail therapy might not make me feel better, but I'm willing to take a crack at it. And then I'm going to go home and have some wine and whine a bit to the Better Half. He will be sympathetic, he always is. He will remind me that the upcoming Memorial Day makes a long weekend, and that life is not just work. And then he'll do something good (like the laundry), hug me, and I'll be able to be satisfied with the status quo for just a bit longer.