Skip to main content

Rules

I am a rule follower. I like rules. I think rules help to avoid a lot of problems. They provide clear expectations for appropriate behavior. They bring a certain civility to life.
That being said, I think I'm a dying breed.
Almost every day I see people breaking traffic laws (texting, running red lights, causing grid lock, speeding through school zones). These things are illegal and downright dangerous. And don't even get me started about how awful people are when dropping off and picking up at school.
I have recently had conversation with a couple people who are dealing with bad employee behavior. The employees do not like some changes that have occured within their respective companies. (On a side note- companies often have to change due to economic or industry factors just to keep their doors open.)
Instead of adjusting to the changes or forming a plan to make the changes work in their favor, they have chosen behaviors that are unethical and damaging to their company and, ultimately, themselves. Some of the actions include coming in late or leaving early (but not changing their time card), not waiting on customers in a timely matter, taking extended lunches & smoke breaks, trash talking their company, complaining to co-workers...the list just goes on.
So what do they accomplish by breaking the rules their company has set? Customers will not want to frequent the business. Sales go down. Commissions go down. Morale goes down. Ultimately, the employee will quit and blame the company, or they will be fired for not doing the job they agreed to do (and blame the company).
Do you not like your job? Then do something different! No one is holding a gun to your head. That may mean go do something else, or it may mean that you have to come to terms with the expectations and step up. Either way it is NOT okay to do a bad job or break the rules because you are not thrilled with the situation.
"The time is always right, to do what is right." Martin Luther King, Jr.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Franchise opportunity

As I read several blogs and forums relating to direct sales, I'm fascinated by those who complain, complain, complain.  They want something, they get it, but they want it different.  They sign on to a company, but don't like how the company dictates this or that. Direct sellers - imagine you owned a franchise... let's say "Subway" (Subway is a registered trademark & only being used as an example).  You have your location with the pretty sign, all of your food is purchased through your company, you have a fairly standard menu and you get to choose to participte in national advertising and pricing.  And, you have to sell a significant number of sandwiches to retain your franchise. As a customer, I know that I can walk into any Subway and get a BMT that tastes almost identical to any BMT I purchase at any other location.  I know what I'm getting. So what if Subway franchise owners put the name on the door but didn't follow franchise rules? As a custom...

It's about them

One of my leadership activities is being a business coach. I help others identify their goals and plan strategies to achieve their goals. Very often, the initial coaching goes something like this- "What are your goals?" "These are my goals." "What do you need to do to achieve these goals?" "I need to do a,b,c." "When do you want to have these goals achieved?" "By this date." And then off they go. OK- so there is more, but this boils it down to the essentials. Next coaching (after they have actually done some of the steps) sometimes goes like this- "No one will a or b." "What was their objection?" "I asked them to a or b for me, and they just said no." "What did you offer them?" "I offered them a or b and they said no." "What was in it for them?" "I didn't even get to tell them because they said no." "So why would they want a or b?...

Volunteers

I've heard many in leadership lamenting about the lack of volunteers.  If you lead a church or other non-profit, or are in direct sales, you lead an army of volunteers.  Sometimes, your volunteers will not hit you over the head with their willingness to serve.  Sometimes, they will.  Are you ready to mentor them in their volunteer position so that they will be successful?  Do you follow through with them while enthusiasm is high?  I think we all believe we do. About two years ago, I volunteered with a non-profit in the Quad Cities area.  It took several weeks just to be able to get through to the correct person to volunteer my services with.  I was invited to attend an open meeting, where I spoke of the service that I was willing to provide.  Although there was much agreement that my service would be a great addition to the service they were providing, and several follow up calls on my part, I never was given the opportunity to volunteer. A...