Comparison And Contrast Two Bo Essay, Research Paper

COMPARISON AND CONTRAST TWO BOSSES

Have you ever known two people who are much alike, yet so very different? Do you sometimes think that the two people are so much alike that you know you are talking to one, but you may think for a moment it s the other? That s how I feel sometimes when I m with one of the two women I am writing about: Tam and Ellen. Tam was my old boss for whom I worked for in Vietnam. Ellen is my new boss for whom I am working in the United States. Tam and Ellen have some differences, but for the most part they are similar. Tam and Ellen differ in many ways such as their personality and appearance, the way in which they manage their money, and their attitudes or the way in which they manage their jobs.

The first way in which Tam and Ellen differ is in their personality and appearance. Tam is tall, slim, and elegant, with long, dark hair and brown eyes. She looks tanned even in the winter and is always the first person in the spring to start wearing shorts. Her personality fits her looks. When Tam gets angry, she doesn t just do it in a small way; she blows up so loudly that it can be heard in the next town. When she s happy, she s ecstatic. She is always on the lookout for new and exciting experiences, and she never does anything halfheartedly. Her passion for life extends from love to politics; she divorced with three daughters by two different husbands and a dedicated socialist. There s nothing ordinary about Tam. On the other hand, Ellen, my new boss, is the exact opposite. Where Tam is tall and dark, Ellen is short and blond. Tam wears her hair long and swinging, but Ellen has no time for such nonsense and wears her blond hair in a short and unfussy style. Ellen s eyes are summer-sky blue, clear and untroubled. Ellen is as calm as Tam is excitable. I have never yet heard her raise her voice at anyone, and her laugh is a gentle breeze in contrast to Tam s gale. Unlike Tam, Ellen has never changed husbands. She devotes herself entirely to her children and her home.

When it comes financial matters, Tam manages her money much more responsibly than Ellen does. Tam works very hard for her money and puts it towards things that she can t go without. Such things as food, rent and car payments are what she feels necessary. She does not blow her entire check on frivolous things like music, movie and little things to put all over her room. Sometimes she will go to a party or take a train into the city and go to the market. During the summer, Tam goes to the beach or just lies around the house complaining that she had nothing to do. Unlike Tam, Ellen does not manage her money well. When she runs out, she doesn t seem to know how she spent so much money. She will cash her paycheck blow it all on frivolous things all in the same day. She does not see the necessity in paying for the things in her life that are essential like car insurance. Every Friday she hangs out at the local mall or goes to the movies. On Saturday, she will get together at someone s house and watch TV or rent a movie. During the summer, Ellen goes on trips to Spain and to the Isle of Wight. Perhaps the most interesting extravagant way she does to spend her money was in meeting people from all over the world.

Finally, the most valid difference between Tam and Ellen is their attitudes or the way in which they manage their jobs. Ellen does not give any special bad treatment to her employees. For example, Ellen has positives about her workers. If there is a problem, and it involves her, she will sit down and work things out. She will not allow herself to just blow it off and go have fun until the problem is resolved. Unlike Ellen, Tam will just blow it off. She will do something else to get her mind off the problem and eventually forget about it. Her way of handling with frustrations is to laugh it off, but in the end it does not help to her. If the matter is left alone and not worked through, she will just come back to her workers, and she the workers come up with idea to solve the problem.

In conclusion, they have far more differences than similarities. In my years of working in the United States, I have accomplished more here than when I worked over in Vietnam. It was hard to give up everything that I have been working for and start over here with my new boss. But for the first time I understood what my new boss meant when she said, Sometimes you need to learn more from someone in order to gain something more. When I returned home to visit my old boss, I knew that both my old and new bosses had changed me, and the special skills that I learned from them will always valued by me.