Have a Heart

Has Aerosmith say in their song, “…it’s amazing…”

When you struggle to get ahead, and make your team win the prize, there are always those who slack and just pretend to be pushing the band wagon.

I’m witnessing a curious phenomenon. People that want to keep earning money, but don’t strive to do better, work as individuals instead of performing team work, and still bitch about any change or complaint directed to them.

People really don’t like having their cheese moved. And why is that? It’s easier to function that way. You store every aspect of that part of your life into mental drawers and cease thinking. Things become mechanical, and even if your work is done in an inefficient way, you don’t give a crap, as long as you can save your brain cells and babble about the current soap opera, the neighbor that is cheating her husband, the price tag of the milk carton, or the latest show you attended.

In fact, my conclusion is that these people don’t actually act unprofessionally due to evilness, but rather due to having too many problems in their minds. Work becomes the refuge for the family problems, their life’s realities. I can relate to that better than you might think.

Still, we are getting paid to do a job, as good as we can, and if you can’t think of better ways of doing it, then why stall those that are trying to improve work conditions and achieve better overall quality? Why resist changing for the better?

In the mist of confusion, people get a certain sense of protection and control. They feel that they can control a part of the process, and I believe that for that reason, they resist giving up that fantasy. Many show that they need to feel they have some power in their hands, and those are the ones that bitch the most.

What really happens is that a company must satisfy their costumers. Otherwise, they will move on, and we will be left with nothing but bills to pay. And salaries tend to be the last priority. Meeting the costumers expectations is not enough anymore. We need to be creative, get involved with the client’s process and even suggest some improvements. Some of them might not even be of the client’s knowledge. So by helping it improve, we gain it’s trust, and more work will follow, if possible. If the client for some reason doesn’t stick with us, if it got a good impression of our work, it will be an ambassador for our quality. How is that bad?

Doing the right thing means that we must apply our efforts for improvement in the field we can make a difference… our own job. No one knows it better than the person who does it, so no one can talk about it with more authority. It’s not up to the team leader, he or she can’t see everything (but can still see enough to kick your ass). It’s up to each and every one of us to think as a whole, and not as an individual. To make whatever possible effort to boost the team’s performance. The team wins, we all win. The total of the teams win, the company wins.

People think too fast about compensations for their work. They should always do 110% before thinking of any kind of material reward. Do it for themselves first.

The thing is, if you prove yourself and your boss doesn’t recognize it, he will have lost a valuable member of the team. Why? Because others will be interested in you, and probably will be paying more for your services. Creating a reputation of a competent employee is also good. If you get sacked due to bankruptcy or staff reduction, you will get a job easily.

So think of your career. Think of your competence. Think of getting better everyday and making more money for you and your family. Evolution means making more in less time. Make yourself so perfect and necessary to any employer that if you need to earn more, he or she will think twice before letting you go to the competition.

Plus, your primary demands should always be working conditions. Face it, they are less prone to giving you a raise to keep you, than to buy better tools, improving the ergonomics of the work stations or safety conditions. Especially if it’s a certified company, with certain standards to meet.

Avoid asking for a day off. Instead, ask for better work conditions. Training if you need it. Be the first to share knowledge with your team, help them out. Expect nothing in return except for an increase in competence and teamwork. Your reward… knowledge and experience. With that, you can further negotiate your income.

If by any chance you feel dissatisfied at your current job, seek for a better one, but keep excelling at what you are doing. Never show lack of professionalism. You are still getting paid, and you still have your word to honor, remember that. The greatest slap you can throw at anyone’s face is to be flawless as much as possible.

I still fail to see the logic in resilient people’s minds. Not wanting to improve, not wanting to work in a competitive company, not wanting to leave a legacy. All they excel at is bitching. I hope they change their minds and embrace the reality they stubbornly insist in not seeing. Because getting sacked at 50 is not a pleasant scenario.

Now, how is this not amazing? It can all be explained by the general theory of human stupidity. It’s not the brightest or the most competent that survive. It’s those who adapt to the incoming changes the best. This is truly survival of the fittest.