SHIMURE

The LEO Boss
"Now don't interrupt me, I'm going to tell you all your faults

It puzzled her very much at first But after watching it a minute or two She made it out to be a grin.

You have a Leo boss and you've worked for him for over a year? Really? You must be a very good listener.

Your Leo boss will probably feel that corporate taxes, government regulations and union rules were all invented as a personal conspiracy against him, but he'll dispose of them easily. Most lions are excellent organizers and perfect geniuses at delegating authority. His way of implementing such annoying situations is to turn to you and dictate, with great nourish, some resounding phrases on the general subject, then wave his hand regally, and with a gorgeous smile say vaguely, "You take it from there." Then he'll probably add that he'd like the report completed and placed on his desk as soon as possible. "Take your time," he'll say. "As long as I get it before noon tomorrow." Leos are not fond of details. They prefer to paint the picture in bold strokes and let you worry about bothersome trifles like figures and statistics.

The classic example of a Leo boss is one I know who called in his secretary to dictate an answer he had pre*pared for an especially important client. "Have you de*cided what you want to say?" asked the innocent girl, shorthand book open, pencil poised. "Yes, I have," smiled her Leo employer. "Tell him maybe. Got that? Maybe. You fill in all the other stuff." With those masterful in*structions, he cheerfully went to lunch where he enter*tained several people at an expensive bistro, played a few rounds of golf, returned to the office around five o'clock and wanted to know if the letter was ready. It was. (The secretary was a Virgo.) After reading it with solemn ap*proval, the Leo reached for the phone and quoted the letter to an associate. His words floated through the office door to the long-suffering secretary. "How do you like it?" he asked into the receiver. "I think I did an excellent job of putting the whole situation together and making it clear where we stand, don't you? Of course, I've always had a way of expressing myself. My wife is always telling me I should be a writer," he finished modestly.

This may be a somewhat extreme case, but you will find echoes of such an attitude lingering in the air if you have a typical Leo boss. Give him all your original ideas. He'll love you for it. August-born executives tend to favor em*ployees who add creative thinking to the firm. However, be prepared to see him grinning like a Cheshire Cat the next day as he proceeds to organize the plan you gave him the night before, tossing out the startling comment, "It's one of the best ideas I ever had." He honestly believes he thought of it first. Truly. Of course, you triggered his imagination, which is why you're so valuable to him. But it was his idea. Remember that.

Now and then your Leo boss may seem a tiny bit un*grateful. Like he'll toss a huge stack of letters on your desk because he can't be bothered or bored reading them him*self. Then the next morning, when you're bleary-eyed from staying until midnight to finish the extra work he threw at you, hell shake his lion's mane disapprovingly, and mumble a comment on the sloppy condition of your desk, as he walks to his own plush lair. Oh, yes, he's almost sure to have a luxurious private office. It may have soft .lights, music, flowers, a down-cushioned sofa and a cherry-wood desk. Even if the budget is small, you'll seldom find him surrounded by pineapple crates and dingy window panes with no draperies. The walls may be covered with excellent prints of good paintings or photos of himself, taken with important dignitaries. Any awards or certificates he's earned will be neatly framed, and hung in a prominent

spot.

Another Leo boss I know had an assistant who worked overtime every night and all day on Saturdays and Sundays for three months on a special promotion. She also managed to move filing cabinets, pack huge boxes of merchandise and change the bottles in the water cooler every other day. Meanwhile, she found time to do her boss's Christmas shopping and pick up his cleaning once a week. One bright, sunny morning she overheard him singing her praises to a vice president of the firm. "That Hester is a real jewel," he was saying. "I don't know what I'd do without her. The girl is really fantastic. Of course, she's a little bit lazy, but you can't expect to find everything in one person."

Did Hester quit on the spot? I should say not. Why should she let a little thing like that bother her? She's a smart girl, who knows that anyone's efforts seem drab when they're compared to her boss's fabulous vitality (in between his daily beauty naps on the velvet chaise lounge in his private office). Why should she leave a boss who never fails to admire her new dress? She would hardly hand in her resignation to a man who presented her with a topaz bracelet for her birthday, a set of Waterford crystal for her hope chest, and who so sweetly understood that the color of her typewriter made her nervous. He even painted it bright yellow for her, though he was a little sloppy, and some of the paint dripped on the keys. It came off on her fingers for weeks afterwards, but she didn't mind, because it was a pleasure to wash her hands every hour with the scented soap he keeps in the washroom.

Her Leo boss helped her father find a new job, paid her mother's hospital bill, and generously gave in to her re*quests to hire her cousin in the mail room. Besides, she's proud of his reputation in his profession. He won two awards last year; he's dictating a book to her about his life;

he's listed at the top of the best dressed men in Esquire;

he's deeply in love with his wife, adores his children, and has caused the firm's profits to go sky high, in spite of those wild chances he took a couple of times. He seldom notices if she takes extra time at lunch. Last week, he found her a larger apartment with lower rent and scolded her fiance because he wasn't treating her right. Quit? What do you mean, quit?

If you're a man who works for a Leo executive, you have some special problems. Be original, daring, creative, and hard working. But remember that he will always be more original, daring, creative and hard working than you -Tn his eyes. Say "Yes" to most of his brainstorms (and he'll Have quite a pack of them in the course of a week). If you must say "No," precede it with a huge compliment and close it with another one. Sandwiched in between that kind of appreciation, he might accept it. But be tactful and proceed carefully.

Even the gentler, less showy Leo executives normally like to spread sunshine, and have oodles of delightful charm. When your leonine boss gets every last ounce of credit he deserves, plus an extra helping of respect for good measure, he'll make you glow with his praise of a job well done. He'll never be stingy with compliments. He won't hold back his disapproval either. The lion is apt to point out your mistakes with very little discretion. Em*ployees with ultra sensitive natures would be happier work*ing elsewhere. So would those with large egos of their own. There's more than a trace of arrogance in your Leo employer, but it's probably tempered with good-natured optimism. He'll keep things humming and running smooth*ly. Leos were born to command, with an enviable talent for assigning the right jobs to the right people and seeing that they're finished on time.

Office intrigues will anger him. He simply can't stand people keeping secrets from him. He must know every*thing that's going on. Don't be annoyed if your Leo boss is a bit nosey about your private affairs or gives you lec*tures on how to run your personal life. It's really a stamp of royal approval. It means he likes you enough to want to protect you by giving you the advantage of his superior wisdom.

Leo bosses can be very funny. They can have fearful rages, and then pout behind closed doors for hours when they think they've been insulted. They melt under flattery despite themselves. They dress well, eat well and sleep well. They're warm and generous to a fault, and if they get the respect they demand, they can turn failure into victory overnight with an awesome strength of character. The lion gets tremendous inner satisfaction from giving orders, and delivering lectures is something he's especially fond of doing.

You may have the kind of Leo employer who hides his hunger for the spotlight under a quiet demeanor. But the typical dignity, pride and vanity of the Sun sign is just as much a part of his basic nature as it is with the dramatic types. Any doubts? Try to puncture his ego in the smallest way; then stand back out of range.

One Leo boss I had, who fell into the quiet pussycat category, used to call a special meeting of the entire staff in his office every Tuesday morning. The ostensible reason was to improve working relationships, but the real motive behind those weekly sessions was that they were the shy Leo's big chance to deliver his thoughts to a captive audi*ence. Bless his heart, it was his moment on stage.

When he's treated right, there's no one on earth who can be as lovable as the lion. What if he does seek admiration in huge doses to feed his insatiable vanity? Most of the time, he honestly deserves to be admired. He may plagia*rize your ideas and rob you of credit now and then. You may weary of listening to his condescending advice and of telling him how super he is. But no other boss would have let you keep the baby carriage right next to your desk that time you lost your sitter. Of course, you would have preferred the time off to care for the infant at home. But the boss needed you at the office. And after all, he's the baby's Godfather.

　

　

　

The LEO Employee
The sun was shining on the sea,

Shining with all his might:

He did his very best to make

The billows smooth and bright-And this was odd, because it was

The middle of the night.

If your employee is a typical Leo, it will be almost im-| possible to ignore him. If he's a quiet Leo, it wouldn't J be wise to ignore him. The more aggressive lion will force j you to appreciate his talents and recognize his value by | simply telling you how wonderful he is. The shy pussycat

type will pout until you give him the same treatment. | It adds up to the same thing. Don't ignore your Leo em-' ployees.

Whether the lion roars from center stage or bides his time in the wings, he is proud. He is dignified. He knows his superiority and he doesn't want anyone to overlook it. ; Leos are not the kind to hide their light under a bushel. | If tribute isn't paid to their vanity, both types of lions will find another savannah to honor with their presence. They can't bear to be underestimated.

All Leos love titles. The bigger and fancier, the better. ; Offer the lion a substantial raise, but give the fellow at the next desk the title of "Chief of Office Coordination," and the lion won't thank you for the extra cash in his pay envelope. He'll be too busy brooding over the increased status of his co-worker, who couldn't possibly deserve such a promotion as much as he does, of course.

It's not perversity that causes him to insist on his rights. He was born to be the master of all he surveys. Leadership is an inherent part of his nature and impossible to root out completely. Leo is fully equipped to take charge. He feels useless and helpless, as well as unwanted, when he's not assuming some kind of obligation. If there's nothing else available to build his sense of importance, hell get it by handing out free advice to his friends and family. Strangers won't be neglected, either. Leo scatters his pearls of wisdom impartially. He'll tell you how much you should pay for having an extra room built over your garage, counsel your secretary about her alimony problems, inform the cleaning woman what kind of ointment to use on her sore toe, and explain to the mailman how he could make his deliveries more efficiently. The less important he is on the job, the more seriously he'll practice his counseling service,

I know one Leo man (the quiet type) who worked for a large company. For years, his family had the vague im*pression that he was the district sales manager. In reality, he was an ordinary salesman and a route supervisor, as well as one of the most indispensable men in the company. Since he couldn't be sales manager until the well-qualified man who held the title had retired, the Leo swallowed his injured pride, and satisfied his leonine vanity by allowing his family to assume he had the position.

His enormous sense of responsibility was evident in his consistent loyalty and devotion over the years. He spent a quarter of a century supplying creative advertising ideas to the firm that paid off in steadily rising profits. At the same time, he competently supervised the company's truck routes at all hours, in all kinds of weather, and waited for the recognition he deserved, but his promotion to the top position was always just around the corner. When the sales manager finally retired, a younger man was brought in from New York to take over. That was the day the Leo quit. There was a heavy Capricorn influence in his chart, so the situation was easier for him to bear than it would have been for the typical Leo, but he'll carry the scars of the deep wound to his pride all his life. There's nothing in this world as sad as the sight of the dignified lion robbed of the respect he desperately seeks and has honestly earned.

You had better make a note that the leonine sense of responsibility, which can be so impressive, usually doesn't show itself until maturity. In his youth, the lion is the classical playboy, prancing joyously through days and nights of wine, women and song, wearing the flashiest clothes in the group, making everyone laugh at his clown-like antics and roaring when someone steps on his mag*nificent tail.

It's usually wise to use young Leo employees in promotion and sales. They're natural showmen, and they'll keep your customers happy with their warm, sunny dispositions. Later, as they mature, the big cats can gradually be eased into the top positions, where they'll usually live up to every bit of responsibility you give them. It's a smart boss who knows at what point the lion has graduated from the role of playboy prince to the just, dignified king.

It's a strange thing about Leos of both sexes. Under*neath their brave fronts, they secretly fear they have no real courage They can behave with the most exasperating pride and outrageous vanity, display insufferable ego, ex*hibit periods of pure laziness. Then along comes a crisis or emergence, either on the job or in their personal lives. Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, the lion and lioness show themselves to be the steady ones. Only under great pressure, weighed down by the heaviest burdens life has to offer, does the inner strength born in this Sun sign come forth in all its glory.

Jacqueline Kennedy's childhood of ease and comfort left people totally unprepared for her incredible courage in the face of unspeakable tragedy. The Leo with the reputation of a playboy will surprise his friends when he bravely and cheerfully supports an invalid wife and two elderly aunts after a thoughtless, carefree, irresponsible youth. Those born under the sign of the Lion and ruled by the Sun never guess what awesome power they possess until the test comes. Until that time, always remember, they are only pretending to be strong. The lion's fierce roar hides an in*feriority complex which is totally unnecessary.

If Leo can't be the boss, then he must have a position where he can display his talents and abilities to the world in some way. After changing jobs a dozen times because he hasn't advanced to at least a vice presidency, the typical Leo will usually head for a profession where he can be his own boss. If the role of executive or leader is denied them, they're happier as teachers, salesmen, doctors, lawyers, managers, counselors, speakers, announcers, actors, ac*tresses, writers or even plumbers and tourist guides. The lion seeks an occupation which allows him to give his su*perior knowledge to others in some manner, or to stand in the bright spotlight of publicity. They shine the bright*est in the fields of politics and public relations.

Keep in mind that the Leo employee will either become an executive on your own level in a reasonable length of time, or he'll leave. He can never be content to work behind the scenes. The applause he needs is out front. Still, you're lucky to have the lion for whatever period he remains with you. He'll work harder than almost anyone else to show you what a wonderful person he is, and a steady supply of compliments will inspire him to a point where he'll show an unbelievable vitality far beyond the limits of normal endurance. Withholding flattery from your Leo employee will rob you of at least fifty percent of his potential value.

See that your lioness gets her vanity plumped up reg*ularly too. Occasionally bring her a yellow rose to tuck in her hair, and never mind the whispers of the gossips. You can't afford to lose her. The gossips don't have her virtues and abilities. Tell her frequently how lovely she looks, how smart she is, and occasionally hand her com*plimentary tickets to a concert or a gala affair. Always two tickets, please, because the Leo girl will invariably be mar*ried, be in love or have a special boy friend in all seasons.

As for the lion, take him to lunch often, in an expensive restaurant, where important people can see him with the big man. Let both your male and female Leo employees be the ones to train new workers when you can. They won't mind the extra work, they'll be proud of the re*sponsibility and they'll love telling others what to do and how to do it.

A little astrological psychology, cleverly applied, can make your proud, touchy Leos a real credit to the com*pany. They'll decorate the office with their grace and en*thusiasm. Surround them with bright lights, vivid yellow or orange draperies and carpets, and the most expensive desks and typewriters you can afford. Nothing depresses a Leo's spirit more than having to work with shabby, ob*solete equipment, unless it's working with pessimistic, un*imaginative people.

They'll need generous expense accounts and a little extra time for lunch. Meals are social occasions for Leos, and they use such opportunities to practice their art of pro*moting. Just give them the barest idea to start with, and they'll explode it into a dramatic campaign which may bring in lots of new customers. You can't expect them to operate at full speed when they have to watch the clock and worry about money. Leos can be fast with figures, but somehow they seldom learn the knack of counting pennies.

As for the clock, it cramps their style. The lion is easy to tame, when you know how. Relax the rules slightly and let down the bars a little. These employees can't be fenced in, or they'll sulk away the hours and lose their bright in*centive.

It's smart to hire a Leo. He'll add a dash of excitement and he can carry some gigantic loads on his back without complaining. He needs a rich diet of compliments, au*thority, raises, titles and freedom, but it's not too high a price to pay for his intelligence, loyalty, faith, ideas and sense of responsibility. After all, how many bosses have royalty on the payroll? Feed both your big cats and shy pussycats plenty of catnip, and they'll justify it by being your biggest boosters, as proud of your company as if they owned it themselves. The lion's heart is as big as his ego.

"If seven maids with seven mops

Swept it for half a year, Do you suppose," the Walrus said,

"That they could get it clear?" "I doubt it," said the Carpenter,

And shed a bitter tear.

　

"When people consult me, it's not that I'm reading the future; I am guessing at the future. Based on the omens of the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it, what comes later will also be better."