Good Boss, Bad Boss: we learn from both (Part 2/2)

Positive Minds | Positive Stories | Edition 012

A good boss teaches us what to do. A bad boss teaches us what not to do. A good boss leads by example, in all situations. A bad boss leads by his title, in all situations. We learn from both. Both can change our career for good or for bad. It depends on which boss we choose to follow the lead.

Never let your boss’ bad behavior be an excuse for your own

Sometimes in our career or life, we face difficult choices. This was the case for me when I found myself under the supervision of my worst boss to date. His incompetence was matched only by his dishonesty. I’m going to call him Mr Traoré. The ‘Traoré’ being the ‘sinankun’ (friendly banters) of the ‘Coulibaly’, I have the right to caricature them.

As a young consulting engineer, I had always wanted to make the most of the local workforce. So, under the leadership of my good boss (refer to part 1), I worked with a metal carpenter to design a brick making machine with entirely recycled materials. We successfully tested the machine on a school construction project. This was in Guinea Bissau in the second half of the 1990s.

Building on the successful pilot experience, I developed a concept note which I submitted to my good boss. The concept was simple: produce a hundred brick making machines at $250 each and give them on loan to 100 young entrepreneurs under 25 years old in the Bafatá region. Repayment would be through the supply of bricks to community projects financed by our NGO, including schools and health centres. My good boss approved the proposal and gave me the go-ahead to start the project.

Unfortunately, before the project came to fruition, he was assigned to another position in a different country. Nevertheless, he made sure to mention the potential of this project in his handover note.

Three months after his departure, he was replaced by Mr Traoré. After reviewing the proposal, he invited me to his office to discuss it. “I like your project, but I think that 100 young people is not enough; we should aim for at least 200 young people with a target of 200 more each year for the next 5 years,” he said. And he added, “You need to revise the proposal and resubmit it to me for approval”.

When I walked out of his office, I was over the moon. 1,000 young people will have a modest job thanks to this project. With so many brick making machines, I succeeded in negotiating a 15% discount. Each machine would be about $215 instead of $250. My joy was short-lived.

Mr Traoré conditioned his approval on the acquisition of the machines from Senegal. A move he made following a mission he had just made in Senegal. He then showed me a pro-forma invoice with a cost of approximately $1,500 per machine. “Mr Traoré, but this is seven times the price here. On top of that we have to pay for transport,” I replied. “How are we going to justify such a price difference in the case of an audit?”

“Do you want your project to be funded or not? That is the condition”. He handed me the pro-forma invoice and said, “You’re the engineer. You’ll find the justifications”.

I was up all night. I was faced with two difficult choices: to obey Mr Traoré’s instructions and to become an accomplice of fraud -because that’s what it was all about- or to disobey, with all the consequences this would have.

The next morning, I went to Mr Traoré’s office to give him an envelope which he quickly opened. “Is this a joke or what? Have you gone mad?”, he shouted in a threatening tone. “No, it’s not a joke Mr Traoré. And don’t worry, I've never been so certain of a decision in my entire life”. I had just resigned from my job with one month’s notice. It was the lesser of two evils for me.

Another of my good bosses, having heard of my resignation, offered me to return to Guinea Conakry to work with him after three short months of unemployment.

As for Mr Traoré, he was demoted a year later following disciplinary proceedings for “serious misconduct”, not surprising to me.

Moral: “Your integrity is your most valuable asset. Never compromise yourself for anything or anyone.”