I walk through workplaces including my own and I see people texting. While texts may be used for work, let’s not kid ourselves, most of it is personal.
Here’s a story I heard from Zig Ziglar 35 years ago that I still remember –
A fancy rail car pulls up the tracks and stops alongside a large group of men laboring in the hot sun. The window of the coach opens and a voice calls out – “Bill! Bill Stafford! Is that you?”
One of the men, dripping with sweat, stands up straight, pick in hand, and looks at the face in the window.
“Yes it is Ron. It’s me.”
The man in the coach invited Ron into the beautiful air-conditioned rail car and they chatted for a while over some iced tea. When the man emerged from the car to grab his pick again, the other men looked at him, astonished.
“Bill do you know who that is? That’s Ron Davidson, the president of the railroad!”
“Yes, I know” Bill said.
“Well how is it that you know the president of the railroad?”
“We started work on the same day 20 years ago” Bill told them.
A minute passed. Then one dirty-faced coworker spoke up.
“Well now Bill, if you started work on the same day 20 years ago, why is it that Ron is the president of the railroad and you are still out here working in the hot sun?”
Bill looked at them sheepishly and thought for a moment. He finally spoke.
“Well you see 20 years ago I went to work for 75 cents an hour, and Ron Davidson went to work for the railroad.”
Happy New Year, Larry! This is a good reminder to start the year with in regard to being a team player or a paycheck player. The difference may not be as notable when the team is doing well, but usually manifests itself when the team is struggling.
This is also another very layered topic on how adept Leaders and Managers, and Leadership and Management, are at navigating the team’s path through the struggles.
Lots to think about on this one. Thanks for getting my brain going this morning! ?
This is spot on – Too often, the words “that’s not my job” come out – most do not realize that all of those aspects affect their job, their pay, their ability to grow that income to a higher shelf.
This one is my favorite!
Love this one Larry