What about me, the boss? Where’s my big thank you?

Dear Aunty B,

I have bought hampers and champagne for all my staff, put on a lavish party at the zoo, wrote them all thank you cards for their hard work (took me a whole hour and I am NEVER doing it again) and we broke up yesterday and not one of them wrote me a card, gave me a present or even said thanks for the year. Don’t bosses have feelings too? Is it ridiculous to think about thanking the person who has spent the year slogging their guts out, taking all the risk, never sleeping with worry, eating and drinking too much, pretending things are OK when they aren’t, being the first to arrive and the last to leave, washing the tea towels, listening to peoples’ problems, paying their mortgage, paying a few of them more than I get paid, giving them pay rises when they didn’t deserve it, not firing a few of them when they did?

Or if they can’t thank me for all the things I have done for them, how about they thank me for all the things I didn’t do?

Couldn’t they thank me for not making all the dumb strategy choices I could have made and sending us broke?  Or not raising a shitload of money and blowing it all, for not being alcoholic (yet), drug addled or mad? For not divorcing my wife and subjecting everyone to my misery? For not accepting that great offer to sell the company out and go and buy a beach house and never wear a tie again?

Couldn’t they be grateful I didn’t do a dumb merger and subject everyone to some new awful culture that drove them all out the door? Couldn’t they thank me for not being a nasty prick, who micromanaged them to the point of despair? Couldn’t they be grateful I didn’t hire some bunch of expensive suits that imported some pompous big company culture and sucked the salary pie dry while adding zilch shareholder value? Couldn’t they thank me, Aunty B, for making sure their workplace is safe and fun, that they learn new skills and can see their future? I could go on Aunty B, but I am too tired, exhausted and used up.

I am off to crawl into a hole and sulk. But before I do, on behalf of all your readers I will say thanks to you, Aunty B, for everything.

D.M.S

Dear D.M.S,

Oh, who cares what they think? You should only care what I think. And it is this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Thanks to all of you brave and talented entrepreneurs who got up every day this year and …I was going to say fearlessly but that would be a terrible lie… boldly faced the challenges that are part and parcel of running a company in this dear country of ours.

I know how hard it is – and everyone at SmartCompany knows how hard it is. So raise your glasses for a salute! Here is to the lot of you and may we continue our journey together as we create the jobs of tomorrow and the industries of the future and make a bloody difference!

The good news is that 2012 is going to be better, no matter what the end of the world pundits are writing. So no sulking, just celebrating,D.M.S. You made it!! And we love you.

Be smart,

Your Aunty B