Manage your boss or risk the axe

So this is the Tower of London, the place that people did not come out of alive once entered. Most people who were axed here did not manage the boss very well.  Let’s look at Henry VIII who had a lot of people executed here. I would have to write a white paper in order to review each of the individuals whom Henry terminated.  Instead, I’ll review a small sample of those unfortunate ones, the mistakes they made and thoughts on  managing a crazy boss.

• Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife was axed for not delivering a baby boy.
• Cromwell, a close adviser, for misrepresenting the beauty and personality of Henry’s fourth wife.

In Anne’s case, there is not much that she could have done to prevent this unfortunate outcome. In the case of Cromwell, there is a lot that he could have done to meet Henry’s expectations. In those times, most Kings and Queens did not meet their spouses before agreeing to the wedding. These negotiations took place by correspondence and with the representatives of each court. It was accepted that these marriages would seldom turn out happy.  Once the deal was sealed between the parties, it was almost impossible to back out of the marriage. Backing out would be an embarrassment and could turn into an outright war to protect the royal’s honor.

1. Understand what motivates the boss. Unlike most royals who accepted the fact that most marriages were a strategic alliance without romance, Henry expected to fall in love with his wife. Rather than finding a good match, Cromwell took a miscalculated risk by finding someone for Henry who would not please him. Cromwell infuriated Henry by willfully misrepresenting the beauty of Anne of Cleaves. Henry was repulsed when he saw her and immediately started working on annulling the marriage.
2. Be loyal to the boss. Cromwell was more loyal to his own agenda than Henry’s. He wanted Henry to marry a protestant who would not have ties to Rome.
3. Build trust with your boss. By willfully misrepresenting the appearance and personality of the new Queen, Cromwell destroyed the remaining trust between him and his king. Henry would not consider any of his proposals or recommendations again. The lesson here is to never misrepresent or manipulate the boss. It will infuriate and destroy the trust that is a key to a successful relationship.