Your Boss.

"There is nothing so demoralizing as a boss who tolerates second rate work." ~ David Ogilvy.

Some call him the Big Guy, Head Honcho, or Gaffer. He, or she, is the one we answer to every day. Each of us has a unique relationship with the person we call our boss. But who is our boss? ~ Who really rules over what we do? Who determines the effort, quality, and sincerity of what we put into each day at work? Who judges our performance?

Recently I had a bit of an anniversary. Forty years of work without ever calling in, or missing a day, sick. Never having to call the boss with an excuse. Inevitably people asked me when it was brought up ~ "What the #@%&*... Why on earth would you...? Take a sick day you idiot."

"The boss will never know."

Now I'm certainly a lot closer to a sinner than a saint and there are numerous guys that work smarter, and get better results, than I do. But from this simple guys perspective we've only got one boss ~ and it may not be the one you think. Each of us selects the standards he demands. We rationalize and reason away how well we adhere to those standards in many ways. Every one of us 'calls in' on different stuff, in different ways, and he knows what we are up to. ~ He knows.

So who is the real boss?

Our Conscience.