In the wake of the global recession we’re facing and the stress of job uncertainties around us, this is a good time for those who are with a job to stay focused and motivated to performing their tasks well. This not only helps to secure your job in the company, it also helps to give you a sense of purpose and job satisfaction instead of fousing on the gloom of the economic crisis.
This tip comes in the form of a story about how different people view the same task at hand and how they handle them differently through different perceptions. Have a read, and I hope you see the insight of this story and find it useful as a guiding star to motivate you to achieve and reap more success in what you do.
This story is a little long, but it will be worth your time should you see the light at the end of the tunnel from this story.
Employee “A” in a company walked up to his manager and asked what my job is for the day? The manager took “A” to the bank of a river and asked him to cross the river and reach the other side of the bank.
“A” completed this task successfully and reported back to the manager about the completion of the task assigned. The manager smiled and said “GOOD JOB”.
Next day Employee “B” reported to the same manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task as above to this person also.
The Employee “B’ before starting the task saw Employee “C” struggling in the river to reach the other side of the bank. He realized “C” has the same task.
Now “B” not only crossed the river but also helped “C” to cross the river. “B” reported back to the manager and the manager smiled and said “VERY GOOD JOB”.
The following day Employee “Q” reported to the same manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task again.
Employee “Q” before starting the work did some home work and realized “A”, “B” & “C” all has done this task before. He met them and understood how they performed. He realized that there is a need for a guide and training for doing this task.
He sat first and wrote down the procedure for crossing the river, he documented the common mistakes people made, and tricks to do the task efficiently and effortlessly. Using the methodology he had written down he crossed the river and reported back to the manager along with documented procedure and training material.
The manger said “Q” you have done an “EXCELLENT JOB”.
The following day Employee “O’ reported to the manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task again.
“O” studied the procedure written down by “Q” and sat and thought about the whole task. He realized company is spending lot of money in getting this task completed. He decided not to cross the river, but sat and designed and implemented a bridge across the river and went back to his manager and said, “You no longer need to assign this task to any one”.
The manager smiled and said “Outstanding job ‘O’. I am very proud of you.”
What is the difference between A, B, Q & O?
Many a times in life we get tasks to be done at home, at office, at play. Most of us end up doing what is expected out of us. Do we feel happy? Most probably yes. We would be often disappointed when the recognition is not meeting our expectation . But evaluate are you a A or someone more than that?
If you notice B, Q and O all have demonstrated “team performance” over an above individual performance; also they have demonstrated a very invaluable characteristic known as “INITIATIVE”. Now to the outstanding person, “O” made the task irrelevant; he created a Permanent Asset to the team.
Initiative pays of every where whether at work or at personal life. If you put initiative you will succeed. This is because this year’s achievement is next year’s task. You cannot use the same success story every year.
Out-of-Box thinkers are always premium and that is what every one constantly looks out for. Initiative, Out-of-Box thinking and commitment are the stepping stone to success.
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