I have three outstanding employees that came to me by way of stupid people. That is the best explanation I can come up with.
They are outstanding in work ethics, production, intelligence, people skills, and enthusiasm. Every day they accept the rapid changes in our work environment and are instantly in gear to find ways to make the change positive and profitable. Quite simply…they “Bring It” everyday.
What is really ironic is that all three of these outstanding young people came to me from the same company. One was literally fired. She excelled and moved up rapidly…more rapidly than any employee I can remember.
Starting in an entry level position, in less than 6 months, she became the Director of two departments because of her ability to lead, incredible sharpness, tremendous communication skills, the ability to multitask, and a drive for achievement that is second to none.
Another young lady that came to us from this same company found that she was going to be fired on a Monday so she chose to leave the Saturday before giving them another long weekend of her efforts. She not only became a top performer in her department in just two months but has a tremendously kind spirit that is infectious to all of us as well as her customers.
And finally the young man that was given poor performance reviews, at the same company, is a real people’s servant. He will do anything at anytime. Just ask. He is so intelligent that he not only became proficient in his position in record time but he became proficient in two positions at the same time.
Every day I walk into these departments and I can see their fingerprints on the work and the production and the attitudes of everyone they work with. They are setting record umbers and have the people in the offices convinced that Mondays are maybe even more fun days than Fridays.
So as I watch these rejects performing the improbable…I have to stop and thank God for the stupid people who somehow totally missed who they had working for them.
As we have talked I have found that they were amazed that at our company we said things like “Thank you” at the end of a hard day or that we gave them praise when they achieved something or in some way made a difference in our day. And they have also learned that performance reviews can be an upbeat positive leaning experience.
They have also found it pleasing that people say hi to them when they come into the front door. And then all through the building and all the way to their second floor office people are actually pleased to see them and they say so…everyday.
When I was promoted to my first management position in the automobile industry my General Manager pulled me aside and said this “You see all those people out there on the showroom floor and in those offices? Never believe that they work for you. Instead, you serve them, help them succeed, let them know you appreciate them and they will make you a lot of money.”
Thank you…great job…I appreciate what you accomplished today…thanks for the great attitude today…nice job with that customer…glad you’re here…glad you’re on our team…just not that hard to say.
Thank God for the Stupid People
