I learned a long time ago, if you are not The Boss, you better know who is The Boss, and you best be well thought of by The Boss. You don’t have to be a kiss ass or bow down to the head guy every single time something comes up, you just need to know who is the boss, how they like to be treated, and what you need to do to stay on the good side of the boss. It’s pretty much the same as being married.
I was not informed of this information when I started work a few decades ago. I had to figure it out by my self. I was working at a private air port in Los Angeles. When a plane was going to be used, you needed to make darn sure the engine worked and you had everything oiled as needed and the gas tank was filled. I noted my afternoon boss handing out jobs. If you got the job, you did the basics and there were no problems. One afternoon a fellow worker did the proper work, but he got called away. I had nothing to do, but wait for The Boss. I was bored, so I looked around to make myself at least look busy. I noted someone had not cleaned out the ash tray, nor washed the window for the pilot. It wasn’t really dirty . . . it was just a little dirty, but I thought “What the heck. You got nothing else to do.” With a bottle of Windex and an old rag I cleaned up everything and looked around for a cushion. The Boss got into his plane and took off. A day later he returned, a day after that he was registered to leave again. I picked up an envelope looking for any needed details, and found a substantial reward for my “hard work.” Ever since then I have tried to stay on top of every need or possible need no matter what was required. Also, it’s great to be listed at the top of any current job.
It’s amazing how a little extra can pay off in droves. After a couple of months, the Boss got some big bucks and moved up to Washington State. I was invited to move as well . . . both me and my wife. For twenty years we have moved up in the bonus area along with the Boss. It’s really all about pleasing people, and caring enough to get and keep things running as smooth as possible.
P.S. It’s also nice if you kinda like the guy as well without just looking for a few bucks more.
