How You Do Something Makes a Difference
by Sally ~ February 9th, 2010. Filed under: Choices.
The other day I watched the last part of Oprah who was interviewing people from the new show Undercover Boss, which airs on CBS.
Larry O’Donnell, Chief Operating Office of Waste Management, a company with 45,000 employees and 20 million customers, poses as a man shooting a TV show about entry level jobs.
O’Donnell worked alongside Fred learning and doing the hard job of cleaning portable toilets.
What he found was Fred not only worked really hard but had an amazing attitude. He took a job that was dirty, and that most people at best would just put in their time. Instead Fred found a way to do it the best way and to take pride in what he did. And he did it with a great attitude that was inspiring. He said he thought of cleaning toilets as an adventure.
Larry, still acting as undercover employee Randy, went on to work with Janice as a trash collector.
He saw first hand that she had some customers who waited for her to come to run and greet her with a hug. They appreciated her hard work and it was obvious that she really cared about her customers.
He found out that she was on such a tight schedule that she couldn’t even afford to take regular bathroom breaks and had to bring a can with her on the truck.
He discovered that some of the rules that “corporate” handed down to the employees left them feeling devalued, and simply weren’t working. These were rules he had helped establish.
I thought that was an insightful moment. In my opinion, rules are often made by people that don’t have to follow them. If they did, they would probably make different and better choices.
These people stood out because they chose to make a difference. They brought their best to what they were doing, even if the job wasn’t glamorous or fun.
Larry O’Donnell gave recognition to his employees and said he had a new found appreciation for the hard work they do. He also said he would make changes for the better for them.
This is the perfect opportunity for companies large and small to see the value of including the people who actually do the jobs in brainstorming ideas of how to make them better.
How you do something makes a difference.
It’s good for you and it’s good for the people around you.
How could you bring this idea to your own business, job, or even as a family member?
