Saying Sorry to Your Boss

In a working environment, unfortunately, we all end up having a Boss on our neck, whom majority of the subordinates do not like and call him names, mimic him to reduce the grudge that they have for him, but the despise/ rage and anger doesn’t subsides, rather it never ends as its an eternal feeling. For once in his life time, the boss is referred as “pain in the ass" by every subordinate. Employees often associate their routine life issues to the characteristics of their boss, like:
A Bad Boss is like an itch in your private parts the more you scratch the more itchier it gets. 
Another version of it goes like “a bad boss is like a diaper… always stuck on to your butt and full of _hit”

The fact of the matter, unfortunately, remains stagnant… “he is your boss”. and will continue to occupy the same position unless he dies :) or switches to another job :) or get closely associated to you :)  [hint: his beloved unmarried daughter] or you get to know a secret of him [e.g. a naughty picture taken at a party ] etc etc etc but …SHIT… luck doesn’t favor us all when it comes to getting your dream, of seeing your boss on your knees, come true.
Since, now that i have your attention, let me come to the topic “Saying Sorry to Your Boss”. Majority of the bosses that we have an amalgamation of the following:
1. They think they are right and want things to happen their way (e.g. we faced the similar issue in XYZ and “I” had the solution….
2. They want results there and then (they mail you first and then call you after 5 minutes, move in at you asking “is it done?” :)
3. They want their subordinates to face the same / similar difficulties what they faced …[why should he be spared, when my boss didn’t spare me]
4. Fear of Loosing his job, to his hired subordinate or lack of knowledge and aptitude make the boss a beast.

In my opinion, Office relationship with colleagues and boss is just like being in a marriage; “every other person is an ‘in-law’ till divorce”

Illustration:
Office discussion, (with internal team or external teams) especially when not planned well or carried out with an intention to insult a particular person / group, often ends up leaving a sour taste in everybody’s mouth.Majority of the time bosses close the conversation by giving a shut up call but sometimes its the other way round as well :)
After the sitting is over; a generic employee thinks, “Shit! my boss is gonna take it personal and will ruin my stay / compensation / bonus round etc, i wish i would have stayed mum”. It may be right in many cases, after all Bosses are human and germs of biasness may make them act unethical in future, but why to take a chance even if your boss deserves a right to be tagged as a “Best Boss in the World”.
My friend, what is done is done, but remember there is always room to say sorry to your boss and mend your ways,…… the quicker the better. The tip to remember is that “you can start the next day with a new beginning”.The only difficulty to overcome in saying sorry to any one is how to start the conversation.
Usually i practice the following after treating my Boss with due contempt of the honor he deserves ;)
1. Do not talk to him the same day, no matter what happens even if he calls you in his room and yells at you… stay quiet.
2. Go home, relax and later in the night just figure out the pain point, because that is what you need to eliminate :)
3. The plan====> you will have to over come that pain point or quit taking responsibility of it from future onwards.
4. Good boy… i think you need some sleep now… the steps below are for the next day.
 Next Day
5. Remember the art to get forgiveness or sooth the pain that you caused begins with a a humble tone and treating your boss with respect.
6. Now, seek an appointment from your boss either by e-mail or calling him  (sounds weird but that is how i do it). I believe that this mostly makes bosses think about what will the employee  state to him… is he going to resign or say sorry or … etc … let him plan accordingly.
7. Approach him in a confident manner and submit your apology in a professional manner… start with the prologue i.e how things went wrong
8.  State why are you sorry and why things went wrong and how can it not happen in future… just remember that the you need to assure your boss that he is running the affairs of the department smoothly and the mistake you made has a remedy.
e.g. “Sir, I am sorry about what happened yesterday… some how i fail to understand how i couldn’t deliver on the deadline…  but i assure that i will perform on my optimum to avoid such instances in future. :-)”
Do not go in to details such as why, where, because… and please do not state that you took a statement of your boss’s  personally and
Plus never say “it will never happen again”… because it will :)…   [in the example above i used “avoid” not “never” ]
That is it… 
now let him talk to you… he will talk about his past experiences, the bosses he faced and will surely end on notes that he is always approachable and willing teach what ever he has learnt in his life and bla bla bla…
See my friend, its so simple to say sorry to your boss for your own benefits… Frankly speaking its better to say sorry to your boss then to be sorry that why didn’t you apologize to him earlier.


    Office Sutras

Work can be an arena that challenges you spiritually as well as professionally.
With humor and wit, Marcia Menter helps readers recognize that the things that drive them craziest at work can be doorways to growth and understanding in their lives, if they are approached with an open mind and heart. Chapters like "The Slough of Suckiness," "Are They Paying Me Enough?," and "The Dream That Got Away," share practical tehniques, exercises, and mantras for finding divinity in the resentments that can make anyone's job miserable. Each chapter includes inspiring Mantras for the Bad Days, such as "If God had wanted me to spend my whole life in my office, he would have given me a nicer office."