Q: I work at a medium-sized, privately owned company that is much like an extended family without the arguments. When people disagree, they discuss things. No one ever yells or shouts, and there is certainly no swearing. That's why I am surprised at the response I received.

Not much was going on at work, and we had some very quiet days. The two main bosses were out, and everyone was keeping busy with their standard duties. We have a very warm, casual atmosphere at work, and I was left in charge, so I announced that it was Bring Your Dog to Work Day the next day, and everyone loved the idea. We carried it through, and some people even brought cats in that get along with dogs. No one brought in dogs that were aggressive; in fact, no one at work has an aggressive dog. And there was nothing that was pressing to get done.

The day went smoothly, and all the dogs and all the people had a well-deserved relaxed and fun day. I would not have made the decision to bring dogs to work if we had been busy. When the bosses returned to work, everyone was talking about how great it was and that we should do it again. I expected nothing but positive feedback. Instead, the bosses were furious that I had made such a decision in their absence. I was blown away by their response. They called me in to meet with them to express their shock and displeasure, which they showed as anger. I told them nothing bad happened, there was no chaos because of the dogs, and that it was just more social than the typical day. Instead of them agreeing we could do it periodically in the future, they ordered me to never do anything like that again. The company owns the building, and we are the only ones here, so we didn't violate any lease or do anything that was illegal. How could I have been so wrong in reading them? I now feel their animosity in daily dealings with them, and I don't know what to say or how to respond.

A: You changed the scale of power, and it sounds like they valued that power far more than you realized. To ease the awkwardness between you and your bosses, ask for another meeting with them together. Explain you've had time to think about it and apologize for not calling to check with them before making the decision on your own.

You may have misread their need for control because you had never challenged it before. They may also be upset because the dog day went smoothly and you received accolades from your fellow employees, increasing your popularity and respect among them. The bosses may feel that this positive response makes them seem "less than" in their employees' feelings. Simply put, some people cannot share the fanfare. Maintaining control meant the bosses receive credit for everything. You upset that paradigm by making a good decision that added to the employees' morale at a time that did not take away from business.

Only time will tell if your bosses will get over the fact that you did well as a manager in their absence. It will be up to you whether you can return to business as usual. If they can't overcome their anger and disappointment and accept that others doing well doesn't negate their success, you may need to look for another job with bosses who are not threatened by capable employees.

Email your questions to workplace expert Lindsey Novak at LindseyNovak@yahoo.com and follow her on Twitter @I_truly_care. To find out more about Lindsey Novak and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Website at www.creators.com.