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Dear Preston:

I started doing flowers as a child, mostly for family, and finally landed my dream job as a floral designer for a large company two years ago.  My only job requirement was to create gorgeous floral designs for clients; I thought I had died and gone to floral heaven! Things were wonderful for a while, but now he seems upset whenever I receive a compliment from a client,  so much so that he has instructed me never to speak to them!  He really seems to be threatened by my talent. In fact, most of my designs are much nicer than his. My only goal is to please my clients, not to deal with his insecurities.

Do you have any suggestions?

Unhappy With My Boss

Dear Unhappy:

My suggestion is to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with your boss.  Share your concerns in a non-accusatory way and see if perhaps this is a misunderstanding or something more.  If he does not appreciate you, please give me a call.  You sound like an ideal employee. As the owner of a company, I have always had a simple rule in hiring everyone from my designers to my assistants: you must not only be talented, but also be able to teach me something.  Now, I am only getting your side of the story, but if your boss cannot appreciate the value your talent and dedication brings to your company, you may consider going out on your own.  There are a lot of people with desires, but good talent, work ethic and dedication to both your job and your client are all traits that are very hard to find. In the meantime, I would like to encourage you to continue working hard and not allow this situation to block your creative juices; you’re a talented designer, so design. I would also advise to be careful with allowing your ego to get the best of you.  It’s your talent, but your boss owns the business.

Readers:  Do you agree with my advice?  Have you ever felt that your talent was not appreciated and/or perceived as a threat?  Are you a boss who has had a situation where you felt threatened by talent?  If so, how did you overcome this?  Please share your thoughts.

Blessings,

Preston

(Photo Courtesy of Pinterest)