I remember once my father telling me how he had turned down a position because it meant being less hands-on in his work. A professor at a university that I know, told me that he gave up a position as a Dean because he didn’t enjoy it as much as teaching, so he went back to being a professor.

I have found that being in a top position can be very rewarding when you have the flexibility to both be hands-on and create a great environment for your employees. But when you can’t be a part of the team, it’s not the same.

Many years ago someone told me that “it’s lonely at the top.” It didn’t make sense to me why that had to be the case. Another person told me that “no one likes the boss.” I thought surely that would depend upon the boss. Well I found out that all of those things are true.

I’ve come to realize my very narrow view of the world. I’ve learned not to expect people to presume positive things about me even if they are true. Many people are going to expect the worst.

I have never been able to be a “fake” friend and I still don’t understand how people do it. Yet, I’ve had so many people be that way to me because I was “the boss.”

The bottom line is, it is lonely at the top and generally, no one likes the boss. It doesn’t matter how hard you try. You can love them to death. You are still the boss. And one other thing…just because you always have their back, it doesn’t mean they’ve got yours. You need to look out for yourself. If you have thin skin or a tender heart, don’t be the boss.