Show Up. Do Good Work. Be Nice.
It really is that easy.
It’s hard to believe (and perhaps more difficult to admit!) I’ve been working through challenging employee and employer situations for more than 20 years. There have been some wild situations along the way; perhaps one day I will write a book. The industry, size or structure of the organization doesn’t dictate these situations. Inevitably, employee performance issues result from failure to set expectations and hold people accountable. It doesn’t matter if you are CEO, shipping clerk or an engineer. How well you do your job, and your contributions depend upon 3 things:
It really is that easy.
It’s hard to believe (and perhaps more difficult to admit!) I’ve been working through challenging employee and employer situations for more than 20 years. There have been some wild situations along the way; perhaps one day I will write a book. The industry, size or structure of the organization doesn’t dictate these situations. Inevitably, employee performance issues result from failure to set expectations and hold people accountable. It doesn’t matter if you are CEO, shipping clerk or an engineer. How well you do your job, and your contributions depend upon 3 things:
- Show Up
- Do Good Work
- Be Nice
Show Up: Be mentally and physically present in the workplace. If you don’t show up, work doesn’t get done, or someone else has to do your work.
CEO: Show up to work and meetings on time. Be there for your staff when they need you to show up and support them. Put down your smart phone. Be aware of how you “show up” to customers, employees, your staff and other stakeholders. Everyone watches your behavior whether you realize it or not.
Shipping Clerk: Show up to work and meetings on time. Show up with solutions to problems.
Engineer: Show up to work and meetings on time. Show up in how you represent the company to customers. Show up for internal customers too.
Do Good Work: Know what good looks like in your job. Meet quality and productivity standards. Do good things every day.
CEO: Ensure a strong top and bottom line. Develop products and services that customers want to buy. Ensure long term viability of the business. Build and develop your team. Communicate. Lead and listen. Make tough choices for the right reasons. Hold self and others accountable.
Shipping clerk: ship on time, to customer specification. Solve problems. Offer ideas. Find a way to make it happen. You are the last quality control check before a product is shipped or a service delivered. When everyone else falls behind, we rely on you to save the day.
Engineer: Design products and services the market values, that your company can produce cost-effectively, and that people will buy. Your work can create new products and markets that didn’t exist before you thought of them. Remember to launch.
Be Nice: Show respect. Don’t blame. Make time. Don’t be a jerk. Assume positive intent.
CEO: Ensure all voices are heard. When people stumble, address it privately. Remember that other people know more than you do about many things. You can communicate bad news and hold people accountable and still be nice. Being nice does not mean joining the company bowling league.
Shipping Clerk: be patient when customer service comes to you for the third time, switching the priority of a customer order. Part of being nice is educating them in the best way to handle deliveries for their customers and developing ways to work more effectively and efficiently together. Say hi to the UPS and Fed Ex drivers – you probably see them every day.
Engineer: Ask for input from customers, sales, operations and finance staff. Understand what each of them need from you. Maintain good relationships with your vendors. Engage in constructive conflict – focus on finding the solution, not defending your design.
It really is that easy.