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As Virtual Mike calls on clientsites, he often hears employees saying things like: "It's not in my job description", or "Don't they pay someone else to do that?" It appears that we all need to learn to be less limited in the list of things we are willing to do for pay. When you hire a computer programmer, it's true you want them programming most of the time. But, when you hear that programmer saying things like "I'm too busy, someone else will clean up my mess", it has to make you wonder "Are they not using their time efficiently, or am I putting too much of a workload on them?" Perhaps they just won't stoop to doing certain tasks that they consider below them.
Businesses exist to make a profit, pure and simple. Contrary to popular belief, businesses do not exist to create jobs and write paychecks. If employees do not contribute to the output of the business, that brings in the cash, there will not be enough money to write those cherished paychecks. So, friends, as employees/owners/managers/people, we need to return to days when people were more willing to contribute to the output of their company, and less on our own personal agenda. I propose that we change our attitudes about someone owing us a job or a paycheck, and we begin to earn them each and every day.
When a problem surfaces in a business, what is heard most often is excuses and blame. Problems are opportunities. If we kept focused on the "big picture", we would recognize that time spent making excuses and pointing fingers at others, does not get you any closer to completing the original task. It only makes people tense and wastes time that should be spent finishing the job. After all, "We get paid for results!" I don't care that someone had good intentions but got bad results. I am interested in the results, not their intentions. I am selling their results to someone else, not their intentions.
Don't get me wrong, friends. Good intentions are great. However, good results are better!
If you stop to consider how much more work we could all get done if we weren't back-stabbing our co-workers, or complaining about something, and kept our productive working environment, just that, "productive." If it were against the rules to point out others errors, or shortcomings; If everyone in your office concentrated on the job at hand, getting some specified result; we would get so much more done, and probably get more money. Who cares that "Mary missed mistakes while proofreading some document" or "John can't seem to engineer that miracle to complete the project." Keep focused, "What are you doing to contribute to the product your business markets?" You don't have to like all the people at work. For Heaven's sake, they pay you to be there!
I truely believe that If you are not part of the solution, you must be part of the problem! If you are not actively engaged in solving some portion of the problem at hand, you are in the way of those who are. At the very least, you should stay out of the way. The people contributing to the solution, are the ones earning the money that will be in your next paycheck. If you have something to contribute to a solution your company seeks, jump in, contribute.
Life is a team sport.