There is something amusing about how we view the one who sits a little higher than us.
We look at the boss in a cool cabin, or the owner in a comfortable car, and feel that life has dealt them a sweeter hand. Many years ago when I ran my own business, I often heard whispers from a few disgruntled workers and even some managers. According to them, I lived a life of ease. I had cars and drivers travelled in luxury while they trudged.
What more proof did they need that I had it easy?
Explaining that the business grew because of risks I had taken or sales I chased simply bounced off their ears. Risk does not make noise like a hammer or a machine, so it goes unnoticed. Responsibility does not sweat in public, so no one admires it.
It is not only my story. I suspect many of you who are employed feel exactly the same way about your bosses.
And because we like stories more than sermons, let me share one:
A general rode at the head of his troops, sitting high on his horse. The soldiers below slogged through dust and mud with rifles on their shoulders. One man grumbled loud enough for the general to hear and said that life was easy for the general who only had to shout instructions while he himself rode in comfort.
The general did not react with anger. Instead he stopped, got off his horse, looked calmly at the complaining soldier and said, get on. The astonished man clambered onto the saddle, probably thrilled that his sharp tongue had finally earned him a small promotion. He sat tall, imagining how good he must look.
But glory is a strange partner. It brings attention that you do not always want. Before the soldier could settle into the seat he had envied, a bullet from a hidden sharpshooter struck him. He fell instantly. The general looked at his troops and said, do you see the risks I take. Is it not safer to walk than to ride.
The moral of this story does not come wrapped in mystery. Leadership may look glamorous from afar, but the higher the seat, the clearer the target. Bosses face dangers that employees cannot always see. They carry the weight of salaries, decisions, accountability, competition, and the fear that one wrong move can topple everything.
They may sit in a more comfortable chair, but they also sit closer to the line of fire.
So the next time we find ourselves muttering about the easy life of our bosses, it may be a good idea to pause.
Before we envy the saddle, we should count the bullets aimed at it.
Only then will we realise that sometimes the safest place is the very spot we are complaining from..!
The Author conducts an online, eight session Writers and Speakers Course. If you’d like to join, do send a thumbs-up to WhatsApp number 9892572883 or send a message to bobsbanter@gmail.com
