Power PlaySample

One of the best tropes you’ll find in movies and television is the idea of the lovable but overall terrible boss. For every crazy scenario and outlandish idea, the not-so-great boss also had a way of really loving and connecting with the people who worked alongside them.

Instead of being either perfect or horrible, we can see them as the flawed, hopeful leaders they are. By looking past the over-the-top behavior, we can see their humanity.

Now, the leaders and authority figures we have in our lives probably don’t use the same antics, and our frustrations with them most likely go way beyond any sort of entertainment. Anytime someone has authority over us, it lends itself to us finding fault in something that they do. And if we aren’t careful, faults are all we’ll be able to see. If we don’t expect perfection in ourselves, we can’t expect perfection in those with some sort of power in our lives.

What would it look like to have more patience and compassion towards the leaders and authority figures in our lives? What would need to change in how we interact, how we respond, and the way we speak about them to others?