Have you ever felt that you are being thrown from one direction to the other and you don't have any control over it!? I think all those who have a 'boss' would have been through this situation many times.

Why oh why does the boss want to do everything at this disposal to make the life uncomfortable for you? The client has one need, he won't accept anything different. I need the boss's permission to do it, since it is probably against company policies. Only boss or his boss is allowed to waive the policy.

I go ask the boss - the boss says, I cannot let you do it since it is not the company policy. But you know, he has waived the same policy for his own clients several times before. But you cannot say that upfront on his face. So you end up saying - 'I thought we waived it before for such and such client on such and such project. I thought this project and client would be a similar case.' But the boss does not want any of it.

Of course, the problem lies somewhere else. There is a struggle between the boss and the employee. The boss has failed to bring in a new project or a client in last year. The employee has managed to do that 3 times already. It be being noticed by the people up in the hierarchy. The boss gets alarmed. How did his employee manage to do something he could not do. So he will use this opportunity to show the employee his place.

So now the employee has ended up being a shuttlecock between the boss, the client and the company's performance expectations. You hardly have any control over the situation. You try your best to salvage the situation. You keep trying to get that waiver. And when you don't get it, what can you do. The employee takes the risk and goes against the policy to do what the client wants without the waiver.

The client is extremely happy with the work and wants to give another project. But he wants similar services on the new project. Now you have a new dilemma. If you go tell the boss that you have a new project from the same client, he will ask - so what did you do on that first project where you needed a waiver. So, you are just stuck and cannot figure out what to do? You cannot brag about bringing a new project too now. Aah.. after being a shuttlecock for this long, my butt has become red and it is wearing out. Wondering what will happen next!!!!