# Only A Third of Americans Want To Be A Boss



## WhatInThe (Sep 11, 2014)

A survey says only a third of Americans want to be a boss or strive towards senior level management.

http://www.staffingindustry.com/sit...f-US-workers-aspire-to-leadership-roles-31421

Although you always strive to improve or progress in some way I wouldn't panic just yet about a smaller percentage of Americans wanting to be a boss. 

For starters many employee already know the realities of corporate life including hours, resume requirements and office politics(the journey up even harder than job). Until you are in mid to upper level management you are nothing but a glorified hourly worker with SOME responsibility and power. Even mid level management has become a tool of many corporations to do nothing but enforce and/or oversee corporate policy. Most big companies give very little discretion & power to lower level employees including management because they script it. It doesn't necessarily work but they do it anyway. I know people in retail, restaurant and various service industries and when you can make more with overtime or tips than a manager can with bonuses so why bother.


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## Ralphy1 (Sep 12, 2014)

But most men would love to be their own boss if they could figure out a way to do it...


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## oldman (Sep 12, 2014)

One of the reasons that I left engineering was because the work became mundane. I was a design engineer making pretty good money, (salary, no o/t), and I designed parts for inside cell phones and computers. Basically what I did, was to take an old cell phone or computer, depending on the project, and redesign it to make it smaller and lighter with more functions. Now, how exciting does that sound? I never wanted to be the boss because he took all the heat if we would get behind on a project or spend too much money.


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## Ralphy1 (Sep 12, 2014)

Yes, but wouldn't you have wanted a little engineering company of your own and control what you manufactured?  Many men that I have known harbored fantasies about starting their own businesses...


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## oldman (Sep 12, 2014)

Ralphy1 said:


> Yes, but wouldn't you have wanted a little engineering company of your own and control what you manufactured?  Many men that I have known harbored fantasies about starting their own businesses...



Yes, you are correct, but I wanted to fly more and that's what I did. I made a career change.


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## Ralphy1 (Sep 12, 2014)

So you did it.  You became your own boss, as a pilot is the "boss" in the plane that he is flying at the moment.  Right?


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## ClassicRockr (Sep 12, 2014)

I made a descent supervisor for a couple of jobs I had. I didn't let my people "run over me" like my wife says she did when she was in management. She told me, "if one of my staff didn't do something right, I'd just do for them". That sure wasn't the way I supervised! Of course I had a pretty strict military background, unlike her. I wasn't afraid to discipline anyone who worked for me!

Only thing is, being in management can definitely mean long hours and possibly a salary that doesn't cover those long hours.


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## Ralphy1 (Sep 12, 2014)

I think men biologically are more in tune with being a boss generally speaking...


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## oldman (Sep 12, 2014)

Ralphy1 said:


> So you did it.  You became your own boss, as a pilot is the "boss" in the plane that he is flying at the moment.  Right?



Yes, I just didn't want to mention it. Once the Captain is on-board, he has complete control of the aircraft and only takes direction from the ATC's. Personally, I did know of one incident where the Captain was removed from his plane due to a rules violation, not the airline I worked for, but that was an isolated incident. So, there is an exception to every rule.


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## Ralphy1 (Sep 12, 2014)

I had a BIL that was a career Air Force pilot.  He rose to be the commander of a training base on jets and took me up once and let me fly it some--a great experience!  He started on B-17s, then C-47s during the Airlift, to B-50s during Korea to jets over Vietnam!  A remarkable career and truly a gifted pilot to survive it all.  He could tell some harrowing stories...


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## oldman (Sep 12, 2014)

Ralphy1 said:


> I had a BIL that was a career Air Force pilot.  He rose to be the commander of a training base on jets and took me up once and let me fly it some--a great experience!  He started on B-17s, then C-47s during the Airlift, to B-50s during Korea to jets over Vietnam!  A remarkable career and truly a gifted pilot to survive it all.  He could tell some harrowing stories...




Believe me, I appreciated the pilots in Vietnam. We would dig in and call for air support. It wasn't long before we'd hear the F-4's on the way at about Mach 1.5. I stated this before, but I'll say it again, I wanted to learn to fly in the service, but I wasn't accepted to the Naval Academy. That was my preference. So, after I got out of the military and went into the job market and became quickly bored with engineering, I decided to go to ATP (flight school). I quickly advanced because I was lucky enough to have some great support (money) from my parents and uncle that I could fly everyday, both at school and locally. The more you would fly back then while in flight school, the quicker you were advanced. Luck was on my side again when I graduated because I was recruited after graduation to fly for a regional airline. After I had gained about 8 years experience, I got a job with a top airline and they helped me to become rated or certified on their Boeing 737's. Initially, I was going to fly just freight like for FEDEX or UPS, but I wanted to be more interactive, so I chose to fly commercial.

Now, occasionally, I will rent a small airplane (jets are too expensive to rent) and just go up and cruise around. This is more expensive than playing golf, but I enjoy this more.


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## Kitties (Sep 12, 2014)

I wouldn't want to be the boss. At least when I clock out and go home, I don't have to answer the phone. I can ignore messages and I have.


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## WhatInThe (Sep 12, 2014)

oldman has it right. Become your own boss ie a pilot or person in charge/control.

Part of the problem with becoming management in many companies and industries is that you can become pigeon holed as a professional manager even though you don't have the resume other than experience. Many companies and HRs will not hire someone coming from a higher paying job. Or a job with a specialty and management is considered a specialty/trade in many HR circles.  You could be sincere as be about willing to accept less pay or work hourly but you simply won't be hired.

I tell anyone looking for a job is that you must decide to you want to work to live or live to work. If you have realistic expectations about the job it will be better for you and the company. But many HRs hunt for a person living to work even though it's just a job to live off/make pay.


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## Sid (Sep 13, 2014)

Ralphy1 said:


> But most men would love to be their own boss if they could figure out a way to do it...




     Simple. Don't get married.


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## Lon (Sep 13, 2014)

I prefer to give orders rather than take them.


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## WhatInThe (Sep 14, 2014)

In some respects many Americans try to become their own boss at work. They tried to find that niche that satisfies them OR benefits them. Those who look for the job that "benefits" them are the ones screwing things up. I know people who let's look for jobs only close to home which limits their choice. So once they are in the job they goal is punching out and going home, not their actual job. Many look for jobs where they do errands, take care of personal business or simply do as little as possible. They are in a job for the wrong reasons but most Americans work to live and not live to work-it's a job. Many employers want you to think their JOB is your calling but it's a job: for money: because you have to, not want to.


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## Debby (Sep 14, 2014)

Ralphy1 said:


> But most men would love to be their own boss if they could figure out a way to do it...




I don't think I agree with that.  My husband (who was a lousy employee) became a good boss and had a small, but reputable service industry business that operated in Downtown Vancouver for 35 years.  At it's biggest, he had a crew of 20 men.  Some of them were great employees, but for the most part, they never wanted to be boss.  And it was the sort of business that was easy to start on a shoestring, but they didn't.  In 35 years, I think there were three guys who wanted to be their own boss.  One was a total flop at it, one quit our company and only made it to upper management in some other outfit and the third guy was an employee who was able to finally buy our company when we were ready to retire.


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## hollydolly (Sep 14, 2014)

I'm not American of course as in the OP's heading, and I have no doubt that there would be a similar percentage if not higher of Brits who would also like to be a 'boss'.

 I am in management in a large world wide known corporate company, and I have to say I prefer giving orders to taking them, but the pay off for that as someone mentioned further back is that I'm never 'away' from work, my brain is rarely disengaged from work related matters . Unlike  the old days when I was young and my bosses could go home on the w/e  and forget about it until Monday morning. Now I'm contactable by mobile phone, email etc, and not only that, I'm expected to fulfil work commitments at home too, of which of course I don't receive overtime pay, as I'm salaried! 

So it has it's gains and it's drawbacks


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## Twixie (Sep 14, 2014)

Ralphy1 said:


> I think men biologically are more in tune with being a boss generally speaking...



Ha..the old glass ceiling..I can speak 4 languages..my boss can't..I can import meat from South America..to land in Holland and be with us the next day..my boss can't..and yet he earns 3 times more than me...


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## Debby (Sep 14, 2014)

Sid said:


> Simple. Don't get married.




Well doesn't that little statement fly in the face of domestic abuse stats?

http://www.opdv.state.ny.us/professionals/abusers/genderandipv.html


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## hollydolly (Sep 14, 2014)

Twixie said:


> Ha..the old glass ceiling..I can speak 4 languages..my boss can't..I can import meat from South America..to land in Holland and be with us the next day..my boss can't..and yet he earns 3 times more than me...



Very similar juxtaposition here too,  twixie


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## oldman (Sep 14, 2014)

I know that I am straying a bit from the original thread, but it is work related. I was speaking with a few neighbors recently and the one fellow said that he was going to be retiring in a few months. He stated that he had worked for the company he is with for 42 years and is in a Supervisor capacity, which is very commendable in my book. Then he proceeds to say that after having so many years with the same company that he was going to just do as little as possible or what he called , "coast into retirement." He worked for one of the electric companies in our area up home in PA. Then another neighbor said that he did the same thing before he retired and he also was a boss or Supervisor for a very large janitorial service company. 

I told them, "Gee, I wish I would have thought of that. Being an airline pilot and do as little as possible, I could have done a lot of coasting. The passengers may not have approved of it, but so what?" I don't mean to pat myself on the back, but I have always given 100% with exceptions. Some days are just down days, however, as an airline pilot, one can not be a slacker, or as I have heard people called others who do not contribute or pull their weight, "dead wood." My Dad would always remind me of an old expression that used to be popular and probably heard by most of you. "Always leave the wood pile a little higher than when you found it." 

I wish that I could instill that mentality into my oldest Granddaughter's thinking. She is definitely lacking ambition. To be more accurate, she does work and is a steady worker, but she is so s-l-o-w. If you would watch her work, it's like watching paint dry. This is her first year in college and I hope she turns it up a notch (or two, or three).


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## AprilT (Sep 14, 2014)

You know, count me as one of those people that wasn't thrilled to be the boss, unless of course it was my own venture (did something with that later in years).  I just always found myself in the roll by default, starting at a very young age.  Once I was mistakenly trained for a supervisory position and though the people found out their error, after the fact, that I was just supposed to be training for the regular line person, they kept me in the supervisor position and from there it just never stopped; I go in for a sales position and get promoted into management though I really didn't want to or even if applying for a sales position, they'd look at my credentials and say well this management position is open and we could really use someone like you.  I was made to feel if I didn't take the head position, than I wasn't really a team player, so I ended up trapped in that position.  It didn't matter where I went, it never failed, someone would try to push me into a leadership position and yes, unlike some people, it wasn't where I wanted to be.  I wanted to fly under the radar, I didn't like being anyone's boss.  I liked daydreaming way too much.    I guess the good thing was that I was a very diligent worker. 

That's what happens when you start off not knowing what the heck you really want to be when you grow up, even though I did know at first, bu,t there were those that thought they knew what was better for me.  Sigh.  I should have become an educator or a nurse like I first wanted to, though I did end up getting my CNA license a second time and also working with the proliteracy council.


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## WhatInThe (Sep 14, 2014)

oldman said:


> I know that I am straying a bit from the original thread, but it is work related. I was speaking with a few neighbors recently and the one fellow said that he was going to be retiring in a few months. He stated that he had worked for the company he is with for 42 years and is in a Supervisor capacity, which is very commendable in my book. Then he proceeds to say that after having so many years with the same company that he was going to just do as little as possible or what he called , "coast into retirement." He worked for one of the electric companies in our area up home in PA. Then another neighbor said that he did the same thing before he retired and he also was a boss or Supervisor for a very large janitorial service company.
> 
> I told them, "Gee, I wish I would have thought of that. Being an airline pilot and do as little as possible, I could have done a lot of coasting. The passengers may not have approved of it, but so what?" I don't mean to pat myself on the back, but I have always given 100% with exceptions. Some days are just down days, however, as an airline pilot, one can not be a slacker, or as I have heard people called others who do not contribute or pull their weight, "dead wood."
> 
> ...



Sounds like they endured 42 years and did not  "work" them. But remember this is work to live society. Which wouldn't be bad if people were told that sometimes you simply have to WORK "a" JOB. You might not get "a" career or calling but you will be able to work a job and survive. But many companies that offer JOBS over sell them as a career which is becoming more rare everyday anyway. Rather focusing on a what someone will do or become more emphasis needs to be  on what is or what will be or want to be-just learn that difference and many would be better off. And lets face it, there are a lot of lousy employers and bosses out there which do not help anyone's morale.


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## drifter (Sep 14, 2014)

I suppose jobs at all levels can be stressful. I have been among the lowest of employees and I have advanced a bit. I do prefer being the boss. I have started and built up my own company. I feel wherever I have worked I have given it my best. I have bumped up against the Peter Principal and started over, learning from the past. Most of us, I think, do the best we can with what we've got to work with.


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## Meanderer (Sep 19, 2014)

View attachment 9739


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## Ralphy1 (Sep 19, 2014)

Better chance of that happening at work than at home if you are married...


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