The big three

Yesterday’s blog I talked about the big three-

Respect

Honesty and

Getting paid promptly and correct 

I stated that if your workplace provides all three of these then you should work hard to do your best and make a home.  Never stop learning and be your own worse critic and never rest on your past.

Now, if you do not receive ANY one of the big three... get out.

You should never work for someone who does not respect you, how can you respect yourself if you do?

If they are dishonest- run- if they lie once they will lie again, rather to you or anyone.

And if they do not pay you what is owed you and when they owe you then it is time to go.

If you need to find a home then do it on your terms and never ever burn a bridge.

Do not stay and complain and whine and try to get others to complain and whine, just do what YOU need to do.
Shake hands, look them in the eyes and thank them... take with you what you have learned, good and bad and use that to do better in your next job... always smile.

You cannot demand respect it must be earned and respect cuts both ways.

Feeling used ?

Feeling Used ?

It is because you are ...

A lot of people feel like they are being used in their job and “ the man” just cares about himself...

Yup- you are correct, that is how it works. I hate to tell you but you were not hired just for your looks.

The question is not “ are you being used” the question is are you doing what YOU want to do.

When a driver was looking to make a jump from OR to my company I would always ask -

With your current employer “ Are you respected? “ “ Are they honest with you ?“ and “ do you get paid promptly and correctly?”.- if the answer is yes for all three then you should think before jumping.

As long as you can check off those boxes the only other question is are you doing what you want to do.

Everyone needs to make money, including your employer so ,yes, they are using you- to make them money !

 If you make them a lot of money they move you up the ladder and they love you, if you lose them money you slide down that same ladder till they need to make the decision on rather or not you are worth keeping. 

That is reality.

In the end personalities do not matter, I have had owners tell me that they totally dis like a person working for them and higher up employees..VP’s.. but they keep them because they make them money. They told me that the day they do not make them money they will cut them loose in New York minute.

That is business.

I know others may offer you more money or bonuses etc but remember they to want to “use” you too,
 if you are good at what you do it will all come out in the wash. Go back to the big three questions- respect, honesty and paid promptly and correct.
I always approached it like I knew I was good at what I do and through that I knew my employer made money from me, -that was what I wanted.
 I wanted to make him lots of money because I knew he would then take care of me, it was in his benefit to do so.

Do not concentrate so much on what “ they” are making and spend more time on improving what “you” do. 

Life change

If you want to be healthier then make life changes.

I never liked diets because my thought was if I can not commit to it for life then why bother. 

In my 40’s I got sloppy and did not excericse and I ate crappy , my weight got up to over 215 lbs with, my Waste line pushing 40 and being 5’7” that was not a good thing. My cholesterol shot up and my doctor wanted to put be on pills and I hate pills.
I needed to lose weight so I joined a gym and started daily exercises and I cut out sugars and ate more fruit and vegetables and ate smaller portions over all and wanted to do something I could commit to for life. Over 10 years later I am still on that same path and found my happy weight of 180 and a 34 waist and lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and no pills.

For a healthier life you never ever reach your goal because you are always watching what you eat and drink and you need to stay in the exercise mode. It is not fair because it is so much easier to stay on your couch and eat that crap but in the end you will feel better and hopefully have a better quality of life, and that is worth the change.

Here’s the thing, do not celebrate or brag about your loss of weight because remember you never really reach the finish line so stay focused, develop good habits.

That is all it is.. habits... it’s your life.. stop making excuses.

Delegate

Learn to Delagate ...
My first manager, back in the late 70’s, was a great guy and worked very hard but his biggest issue as a manager is he never delagated properly. He would just do everything himself, I had to take stuff from him or he would literally do it all and that would not have been healthy for him, me or the business.
It is imperative that the boss or manager know the process and also set the example but he also needs to know how to train and delegate - and most important follow up and inspect what you expect.
A healthy business always has employees that can multi task and that can do the work of the guy they sit next to or works close with. Their roles should be interchangeable and it is up to the manager or boss to create that environment.
Set the example but delegate... and follow up.
You should always be in training mode.

Excuses

Stop making excuses... 

It starts and ends with YOU, you can point the finger and blame others but ultimately it is up to you to succeed and it is up to YOU to be happy. 

Yes, we may need assistance from others but that is why it is imperative that we know how the machine works, and then work the machine, work within and around.

There may be times that you need to pick up the ball or to confirm important information that may impede your progress, do not completely rely on others. 

The more self efficient you can be the more successful you will be.

Do not make excuses- learn - learn what went wrong and learn to work around it next time.

Failure is just an opportunity to learn.

Take control- take responsibility- learn how the machine works.

Following Through

Anyone can promise anything or make any resolution that they want...
It’s the following though and the follow up that matters.

Did you give someone your word on something? Or did you promise yourself something?
Talk is cheap and so are promises.
You need to follow it up, if it includes other parties doing their job then you are still NOT off the hook... follow up. Make those calls and drop those emails.
You are only as good as your word.

If someone else dropped the ball in the chain that effected what you promised- guess what?...
It is still on YOU.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY - OWN IT.

If you made a resolution or promise to yourself then whatever it is- make it a habit.
To form a habit you need to do it for 30 straight days - did you promise to lose weight? Eat healthy?
Be more attentive to your loved ones? Exercise more? Return every work email promptly ?
All very good resolutions but only if you follow up and follow through.
You can do it but you need to WANT to do it.

We only have one life.... don’t waste it wishing ... take charge.

Disney

Happy New Year !

Having spent a week in Disney World with my family I experienced once again customer service at its best. Besides the amazing rides and events in Disney the customer service is simply amazing and ALWAYS consistent!
From the person picking up the trash to the people working in the parks and hotels EVERYONE is trained to help and they all are very helpful and SMILE.

For me it is always a lesson in how all businesses should be run, if Disney can still produce this kind of customer service on their level then YOU can certainly provide it on your level.

It starts with the training.

Disney shares their philosophy and wants every employee to know as much about the company and the their fellow cast members as they possibly can. They TRAIN to always stop what they are doing if someone approaches them with a question and be as helpful as possible, smile and say good day and thank you. - sound simple ? - it is ! - Do you do it ?

Here is an example, on my last day I was in line for the concierge to ask a few questions and they were busy so a receptionist near by saw me waiting and called me over to see if they could help. It was not her “job” but she went out of her way to help- imagine that .
And here’s the really cool thing, I went back to that same lady about 45 minutes later with another question and she immediately said is there something else I can for you Mr. Vieira ? She even remembered my name. All the people she spoke to and still remembered my name.
That my friends is the secret - always go the next step- do not avoid the work, run to it.
It is that extra step that people remember - smile and try to help- it is that easy.

Learn as much as you can about how things work around you so you can be ready to help, don’t rejoice in passing the buck or the call, embrace having the answers and helping.

Make it one of your resolutions!