It got me thinking. My co-worker had been working under that man for more than 10 years. They had shared information about their personal lives, said hello in the halls and attended all meetings seated next to each other for TEN YEARS. But hearing him that day made me feel that it must have been all for nothing. That's pathetic. Machiavelli once said that it is better to be feared than to be loved. Obviously our boss had instilled enough fear into my co-worker to warrant personal attacks on his wardrobe selections. That's BS.

Our boss had been kind to him in every situation. He had nodded his head mid-conversation when passing his employee in the hall. He had taken the time from his busy schedule to find out how my co-worker's kids were doing, and how the new house is holding up. So why then did my co-worker get so upset to the point of personal attacks??? Many reasons.

First and foremost, I'd have to say it was jealousy. The difference in the salaries between our boss and my co-worker's was QUITE significant. It has been proven that people in the upper eschelons of society are often hated for having more money than them. (Bill Gates is a perfect example of this. What has he done to you personally??)

Secondly, there was social pressure for my co-worker to prove his "manliness." By cutting on the boss, he attempted to show me that even though he was under the boss, he wasn't going to take any crap from him. My reaction to that- "Okay buddy...tell him he's a wuss tomorrow by the coffee maker." He'd never do it. Of course not. That makes him the wuss!

A third reason why this event might have happenned is because my co-worker is older than I am. At 36, he must feel that he can still mold a 19-year-old like myself into thinking that he is cool because he can make fun of the boss. "Wow, what a cool guy...he's known his boss for ten years, and the boss is such a fool, he has no clue what people really think of him! What a dumbass the boss-man is! Golly, my co-worker rules!" Umm...I don't think so. If you are reading this, and I know you are, you have probably noticed that I rarely take spoken comments at face-value. There's often a lot behind the curtains, and I feel it is my job to expose them to those who don't notice these quirks that people have.

Well, I've really turned this into a rant. I'm going to close by suggesting that bosses get to know their co-workers. Not on a small-talk level, but deeper. The more personal information the two of you can communicate with, the more motivation you will have to proceed in a pro-active fashion. Good luck, all you co-workers out there. And bosses? Stay away from pink.