Two Little Sayings… And Their Impact

I was in the office of an insurance company the other day and saw two sayings on their wall. First, “Don’t Mistake Movement for Achievement,” and second, “You Can Have Reasons or Results.” Wow. I create hundreds of words a week for this blog, and these 11 words can be the entire core of your company. Read my short further thoughts on these words.

On movement for achievement. Before we sold our plant, we had more than 200 employees. And it is natural that when I walked through the plant I would see the folks who moved glass around, unloaded trucks, or dropped glass on the cutting tables. The operators of equipment tend to blend in with their machinery. It took a concerted effort on my part to realize the folks who stood still did just as much, if not more, work than the guys running around. Look at your company. Are the loud-mouths getting more attention than the folks who just silently do their job without complaining? Don’t let yourself fall into this trap. It is not who smiles the most.

As far as reasons or results. Get the job done. Don’t tell my why you couldn’t. Tell me early in the day what you need help to finish today, not at 3:30 p.m. The people who get the job done are worth more to you than the smiling faces. If you pay all folks based on their position, rather than how they perform in their position, the high-achievers will leave you and go to companies where they are appreciated.

Think about it.