May 29th, 2014
I came across an article about work posted on a social media site that I enjoyed reading and I wanted to share. Occasionally we all can benefit from a short story that reminds us of certain perspectives that we may overlook or forget as we become preoccupied in our busy life. The article I came across goes something like this.
Staff A works with the same company for many years. He is well respected by his peers and management as the go-to expert that knows all the ins and outs of the operation. However, Staff A has worked in the same position within the organization for most of the years while many opportunities for promotion passed him by. What was frustrating to him was many of the staff that received promotions had less tenure and sometimes were less knowledgeable in all aspects of how the business is run from day-to-day.
One day Staff A finally decided to confront the Boss about his dissatisfaction of not being promoted for all his years of service and hard work. He took a deep breath and entered the Boss’ office.
Staff A: “Boss, have I ever been late, insubordinate, or let you down when I am asked to do something?”
Boss: “No A, never.”
Staff A: “If so, do you and/or other executives think negatively of me or have any bias against me as a person or employee?”
Boss: “Of course not. We value what you do for us and we are very glad to have you on the team.”
Staff A: “Then may I ask why with my years of tenure, knowledge about the operation, and ability to perform as required, are not enough to get promoted in the company?”
Boss: “Let’s hold that thought A. I have a very important task that needs to be taken care of. Can you do this for me first and then we will circle back on addressing your concerns afterwards. Can you do this for me?”
Staff A: “Yes, I suppose I can.”
Boss: “Good, our biggest account will be sending a team to visit our operation next week to evaluate us for the next contract. We need to prepare for their visit and make sure we put our best foot forward. Can you help me look into when are they arriving?”
Staff A: “This is a secretary’s job, but if you need me to do it, I will. I will take care of it right now.”
Few minutes later Staff A returns to the Boss’ office.
Staff A: “Boss, they are arriving next Tuesday.”
Boss: “Great, thank you A. Which airport will they land at, and what time is the flight?”
Staff A: “I don’t know. I was just confirming the day they are arriving as you requested.”
Boss: “Do you know how many members are in this team that will be here?”
Staff A: “No, you didn’t ask me to check the number in their party.”
Boss thanked A for his work finding out the day of arrival, and then made a call to ask Staff B to step into his office. Staff B only joined the company five years ago, however he is a peer of Staff A that was recently promoted over A.
Boss: “B, our biggest account will be sending a team to visit our operation next week to evaluate us for the next contract. We need to prepare for their visit and make sure we put our best foot forward. Can you help me look into when are they arriving?”
Staff B: “Sure boss.”
Ten minutes later Staff B returns to the office.
Staff B: “Boss, I got the info you requested. They will be arriving next Tuesday at ABC Airport. There are five in their party, the flight is with XYZ Airline and they will land at 5pm. We will need to rent a van to pick them up. I suggest we be at the airport by 4pm, as there will be a lot of traffic during that time and we had better not be late for this. In addition, I confirmed that they plan to stay 5 days. Therefore, I recommend booking DEF Hotel as that is a nicer hotel in the midway point to our offices which we will likely want to give them a tour of. I am having the secretary to get the pricing of rental cars and hotel rooms as we speak, so you will know how much we are looking at and just approve it if that works for you.”
Boss: “Thank you B for the help. That’s all I need for now.”
Staff B: “You’re welcome. Let me know if you need anything else.”
Staff B left the Boss’ office.
Boss: “A, now that is taken care of, let’s continue our discussion about your concerns.”
A few seconds of silence went by.
Staff A: “Boss, sorry for taking up your time. My concern was just addressed and I understand now."
This story allowed me to reflect on some very important points I would like to share. Within the organization, everyone has a role that we each play. These roles are grouped into teams, units, divisions and/or departments. We all report to somebody, and that somebody will always ask us to perform tasks, carry out instructions or directives, and execute assignments as required. That is why we call it work. More often than not, we lose sight of why we do what we are asked to do as time goes by and we become proficient at doing them repeatedly. In other words, we stop associating our roles and responsibilities in the work we are asked to perform to the ‘outcome’ that the team, unit, or the department as a whole is trying to achieve.
In the story, Staff A executed the request, and delivered the answer as asked. However, he failed to see the business context of why the Boss asked for this task in the first place, therefore failing to contribute in a way that can help the organization achieve the desired outcome without extra steps or involving more resources. Simply put, A is a good employee in executing tasks, however lacking the ability to see the big picture and the opportunities to contribute to the business outcomes that the organization needs within every task he performs.
As mentioned earlier, it is human nature that we sometimes will go on autopilot when what we do becomes routine. Therefore, I hope this short story provided you with a good reminder like it has for me of why we do what we do. I will leave you with a saying that I often like to use in class that relates to this story.
A rocking horse has motion, but no progress.