I had wanted to do a series on practical Buddhism for our workplace but did not know how to start until I encountered a sermon by a Thai monk (Luang Por Jarun) recently. That sermon was translated from Thai into Chinese and I am happy to translate it into English for sharing.

The sermon contents by Luang Por are in yellow boxes. My comments are not coloured.

How to make your boss like you?

There are 3 types of bosses. [1] Employers, property owners, company owners [2] Supervisors, managers, directors. (My personal note: Those that are above us on the org chart) [3] Colleagues who assigned tasks to us.

To be practical, we have to acknowledge the presence of people whose authority surpasses us. They have a say on our job prospect, our wage or salary and their opinion will affect our promotions and career path. Some of us may feel indignant about the presence of bosses. Why is that clown, my supervisor? Consequently, we do not feel happy that we are under his/her supervision and we dislike reporting to them. When we have such emotions in our minds, going to work can be torture.

Some of us may vent our displeasure by bad-mouthing our bosses behind their back at work or on Facebook. Some swore to give them a dead bitch face and no smile! Unfortunately, these actions only intensify our aversion and suffering.

Personally, I find it more practical to acknowledge their superiority and be respectful. From a Buddhist perspective, their good karma had resulted in their current position of power. We should learn to respect their good karma even when we dislike their personality.

That way, we will have a more balanced mind at work and we will not create so much suffering in our minds. We can also focus on doing our jobs well and professionally. As long as we are under their supervision or work for them, we should try our best to be good employees. That creates good karma for our careers. To be continued.

May all be well and happy.