skip to main |
skip to sidebar
My father was a man of few words. But when he spoke, boy, he definitely had some good stuff to say.
When it came to the World-of-Work, he told my brothers and me that there were a few rules to follow when we eventually got jobs:
1. Go when you're scheduled to work. Even if you don't feel like it. Your employer and co-workers depend on you being there.
2. Arrive well before you have to clock-in. Give yourself plenty of travel time in case you get a flat tire, or traffic gets backed up.
3. Give all you've got to the work you're doing, because what you're producing is important to someone.
4. Be nice to the secretaries, janitors and the cafeteria ladies. If you are, you'll never have a problem at work because they're the ones who really run the place.
5. Mind your manners. You never know who you're talking to.
6. Look like something.
These pearls of wisdom may sound dated, given the entitled attitudes I frequently am exposed to, but they are as relevant today as they were many years ago.
Pop lived these rules all the years he worked as a milkman for several local dairies, and later as a master journeyman carpenter for the National Park Service. His uniform was always perfect. He left an hour early to make sure he got to work on time, and stayed late if something needed to be finished. He'd go to work even when he didn't feel well; I can remember him staying home from work on only two occasions: when his best friend died, and when my youngest brother was born. I heard him call his boss "Sir" and all of the ladies in the office "Ma'am."
After he retired, he always spoke of his work with fondness and great pride. He knew he did the best job he could, and made his employer look good...the goal for every dedicated, engaged and successful employee.
A good work ethic is essential for crafting a good reputation, and will take you farther in your career than you can imagine...if you follow Pop's simple rules.
(c) Robyn King. All Rights Reserved.
Fact: If any of us believed that falling down once meant
that we'd never learn to walk, we'd all be crawling on our hands and
knees today.
If falling off of a bike repeatedly meant you'd never learn how not to fall, Schwinn would have gone out of business a long time ago and there'd be no such thing as the Tour de Cure.
I'll assume that your toddler mindset didn't let many tumbles, wobbles
and falling on your butt keep you from walking upright. Getting your
knees skinned and dumping your bike more than once didn't end your
quest to be a skilled rider.
Know
why you can walk, ride a bike, write, read, ski, and so on? Because
your younger self didn't know what failure was. It wasn't an option, so
there was nothing keeping you from mastering those skills. You picked
yourself up, dusted yourself off, and started all over again. And
again. And again. You figured out how to balance yourself just right
so that you fell less and less often. You eventually got really good
at it. You took repeated failures and used them as learning
opportunities.
That's called resilience.
At
the risk of sounding like an old fuddy-duddy, I think that our
ever-growing reliance on technology has been the death-knell of
resilience. I'm noticing that people who seem to always have a phone or
tablet bonded to their hands, or folks who spend uncountable hours in
front of a computer screen, are less skilled at dealing with obstacles
that life throws their way.
The
24/7/365 availability of information and communication opportunities
have replaced the practice-til-you-get-it method of building and honing
academic, social and interpersonal skills. It has also taken failure
out of the realm of possibilities, and turned it from a singular event
into how to describe oneself.
The result is a population that doesn't know what to do when things go wrong:
- When they don't do something right the first time (or the second time. Or the third).
- When losing a competition and getting angry for not receiving a consolation prize.
- Giving up when learning something new and it doesn't go perfectly right away.
- How to lose gracefully and with sportsmanship.
- How to take failure as an opportunity to grow and learn and do better.
We
don't need consoling when we fail. Or a trophy for participation. We
need to build grit. Rethink what we can learn from the experience. Show
our tenacity. Pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start all over again...until we get it right.
All images courtesy of Google Images, unless otherwise noted.
(c) 2011-2016 Robyn King. All Rights Reserved.
Volunteer your time...build your reputation.
Help those less fortunate than yourself, because the personal
rewards are immeasurable. A bonus of performing good deeds is that you
can use these experiences to build your reputation. Your reputation determines how people view you, and having a good one is worth more than any education, skills or talents.
I have a colleague who volunteered A LOT of his free time to a particular local chapter of a non-profit organization. It was through his network at this organization that he found an opening for a full-time, paid position with benefits.
He applied, interviewed, and got the job. The people who interviewed him already had heard great things about him from other volunteers, had seen him in action many times, knew about his work ethic, the kind of person he is, and his dedication to their cause.
He later learned that his volunteer efforts and remarkable reputation are what put him head-and-shoulders above the other candidates.
A great reputation can open many doors, but spending time helping others will make you feel fantastic about yourself and the positive impact you make on their lives.
Giving to others is an awesome opportunity to recognize--and be grateful for--the abundance in your own life.
(c) 2011-2016. Robyn King. All Rights Reserved.
Arrive at least 5 minutes before your classes begin.
Your professors expect you to be ready to go when the lecture begins. This means not swaggering in 5, 10, 15 minutes late, and not prepared to join the class. It means having everything you need to take notes and participate in class on your desk before you will need them.
A good reputation will take you far. There's plenty of time between classes and after College Hour to get your butt into your seat before the professor begins talking. You will feel more relaxed, your mind will be open to learn, and you'll look good to the teacher. Promise.
(c)2011-16 Robyn King. All Rights Reserved.
