Viewing: Notes » 'I am, I said.'
'I am, I said.'
(4 minute read.)
Boss? Or leader?
I don't often post three-in-a-day, and so with this one being #3 for today I'm wondering whether some of the recreational drugs I've previously taken have completely worn off.
I'd suggest not.
Anyway…
I've lost count of the times I've been told 'you should write a book'. I suspect it's almost on a par with the number of times I've been advised to plead guilty rather than contest whatever charge was being levied at the time.
I appreciate the potential value of books.
They can be great learning aids.
And enjoyable tripe.
But I rarely read 'em nowadays—no longer have the attention span.
And write one?
Ha-ha. Not me.
But… and although I'm in some ways hoping the urge to do it will have vanished before I go further, I currently have something in mind - albeit at a 'very rough' stage. Very rough.
I'm tempted by the idea of creating a book about leadership… yeah, right—as if the world needs another one of those. And with the mess much of *my* life has been, who the hell am I to write on the subject?
I do though rather like the idea of recycling the Neil Diamond song title 'I am, I said.'… and constructively hijacking it to fit the contrast between the *imposed* authority of 'I am the boss. I said do that.' and the 'let's…' of *welcomed leadership*… or something like that anyway.
A riff on 'he had command, but not control', constructive/destructive authority, etcetera etcetera etcerera, it'd have to be relatively informal and conversationally written.
An introduction in the style of Hunter Thompson could be good. 😉
I’d love to tell you that this is a book about how to get things done—you know, the usual jargon: drive results, meet targets, manage teams, hit those goddamn KPIs. But that’s all a crock. This isn't about some sterile, bullet-pointed guide to 'effective leadership' that makes you sound like an MBA zombie. No, this is a book about something much more dangerous and, frankly, much more interesting: The Difference.
You’ve heard the phrase 'I am the boss. I said do that.' If you’ve ever worked under someone like that, you know it’s about as inspiring as a traffic jam on a Monday morning. The boss says jump, and you ask 'How high?' but secretly you’re wondering why the hell you have to jump at all. You get it done, sure, but only because you have no choice—and let’s face it, the only thing that keeps you in line is that little threat in the back of your mind: I need this paycheck.
Then, there's the other side of the coin. The elusive, intoxicating idea of leadership—the kind that doesn’t make you feel like a pawn in someone else’s game, but rather like an equal player in something bigger. Welcomed leadership isn’t about barking orders from some ivory tower or flexing authority like a cheap muscle car. It’s about trust. It’s about respect. It’s about inspiring people to do things not because they’re afraid of the consequences but because they want to be part of something meaningful. And that’s where this book comes in.
Forget the buzzwords. Forget the corporate claptrap. I’m here to tell you that being 'the boss' is easy. It’s a badge. It’s a title that means jack unless you know how to wear it without suffocating your team in the process. The hard part? Leading. Actually leading people. Leading them in a way that gets them to follow, not because they have to, but because they choose to. That’s the kind of leadership that moves mountains.
But let’s not kid ourselves. Leading isn't for the faint of heart. It requires you to walk that thin line between charisma and chaos, between giving a damn and letting it all fall apart. You’ll fail. You’ll fail again. But here's the thing—you'll learn. And if you don’t, then you’re just another boss, shouting orders while the world passes you by. So, here we go. Strap in. It's going to be a hell of a ride.
Book? Me?
Hhhmmmnnn… maybe.
I can ask ChatGPT to do much of it. Yeah, that'll work.
Anyway, three in a day… and on a Monday, too. (I try to not work on Mondays nowadays.)
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