To succeed in today’s workplace, people need to demonstrate their value and curtail any hint of dispensability. At a minimum, they need to at least act the part.
Here is a personal example to illustrate the point. I needed help to remove a piece of furniture from my apartment. I asked Joe, who works in my building, if he’d like to make a little extra money by assisting me.
Sighing, Joe went into this long dreary story about how much effort this would take. After all, didn’t I know about the rules of how to dismantle the furniture for recycling, the rules about when large items went curbside for pick up, and the rules about how to store furniture in the basement without creating a fire hazard?
Not only was Joe cranky (and unappreciative), but he turned everything into my problem. Needless to say, I was relieved that he turned down my request, because who wants to work with someone who has that kind of attitude.
Fortunately, Adam was referred to me. When he arrived at my apartment the next morning, Adam quickly assessed the logistics and agreed to do the job. I began to ask questions about all the rules that Joe had mentioned, and he politely cut me off and said, “Lisa, I’ll take care of it.”
He took total charge of the situation. He was careful, cheerful, and considerate, and did the job without turning even the smallest detail into my problem.
Why does Adam’s behavior seem so unusual? It’s because we’re more accustomed to people with attitudes of entitlement and the “it’s not my job” syndrome.
If your people do good work and have reasonably good attitudes, they’ll get by. But when they make themselves valuable and have great attitudes, there’s no stopping them.
Are your people more like Joe or Adam?
I have no question that Adam will be successful in whatever he does with his career. He takes pride in his work, has the mindset for success, and is a role model for others.
When you build your team with people like this, it will build your organizational brand so that people want to work there and want to do business with you.
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
– Albert Camus
Header image by CoWomen/Pexels.com.
