Napoleon

Not that my take on Napoleon matters one whit anywhere in the world, but I may as well get it off my chest. It's been percolating for a while. 

 

He kinda drives me nuts, actually. Sometimes he's moody and all pissed off, striding around the office like if anyone gets in his way, he's going to mow them right down.

 

Then sometimes, like today, he's all chatty. I was passing out paychecks and he's all, "Thanks, I appreciate it," with a smile no less. Why is it that I always crave the approval of those whose approval is close to unattainable?

 

Supervisor manages people the exact opposite way of Napoleon. She treats people like they are people, not just resources to be managed, although there is that side to her management style, of course. There has to be that side.

 

Napoleon doesn't really approve of anyone. He sort of does; ie he won't fire you if you're always there as scheduled, 10 minutes early, work through lunches but don't charge the company, manage your position as cheaply as possible, dress professionally, stuff like that...ie, if you're the perfect employee...ie if you're Twiggy.

 

In a way, that's fair. That's judging people on their merits alone, not on how much sucking up they do. He has little or no true loyalty to anyone in the office; he's the ultimate manager, viewing people solely as resources and connecting everyone's position to their contribution to the bottom line, to the results they provide. And everyone knows the score; I don't think there are any pretenses about it, if you're a good observer of human behavior. Otherwise, you may find yourself imagining that he's actually your friend if he's nice to you.

 

Now it's true that he might be chummy with some people. But if those people don't prove their worth with results, the chumminess will stop. It's not personal; it's business. Results = Napoleon's approval; lack of results = lack of approval. I would not be surprised if he became CEO of this company someday.

 

I guess I kinda like Napoleon, actually, although I have spewed much venom about him in this blog that I use for venting. I kinda like people who let you know what the score is, who are unambiguous about what they want from you. I suppose it might be better if Napoleon had some people skills, but at least you know what to expect from him...that way you don't get your hopes up.