Garbarge Men or Business Consultants?
Have you ever even tried to place yourself in a garbage man’s shoes? Most people haven’t. In general, we tend to look down upon garbage man, thinking of it as “lower level job”. However, as I was leaving my house the other morning, I was watching the garbage workers running up and down, collecting the garbage cans, and then hustling back. Their enthusiasm surprised me, and at the same time made me think about the whole matter. What is it that makes them hustle as they do? Is some sort of performance bonus paid to them, or is it the prospect of going home early if they should finish the route in record time. That is when it hit me; there are some life lessons to carry over to the rest of us. It took me some time to comprehend this. A normal garbage worker in Seattle earns about $28 000 yearly, which is not a bad salary, but could a $28 000 yearly salary really be at the centre of such enthusiasm and great work ethics? If it isn’t the pay that motivates the guys to display such great business sense, then it has to be something else, the question is what that something is?
I came to the realization that “us” people at the top of the job-chain, could really stand back and take some lessons from garbage men about work ethics, positive attitude, and results. Most people do tend to display some form of good work ethics, but most of us do it for self-gaining reasons of promotions or increases. Should one take those promotions and increases away, you think those very same people will still show such good work ethics?
As entrepreneurs, business people, or just normal workers we should all strive to start working as garbage man. It became clear to me that the guys hauling my trash are not interested in “time”, but are interested in results. It is the focus on those results, called “finishing the job, and doing it correctly”, that seems to click the business switch in the back of normal worker’s mind, saying to him “run”, instead of walking to the finish line.
Why focus on results? When business people or garbage people focus on results, the rest becomes a blur… Mountains become molehills, obstacles become things to move around, and issues become great stories of lore, as we move past them. Focusing on results keeps you on track for your business and helps you remain on task, keeping your business moving in the right direction. If you want more information go to http://www.results.com, or speak to a very good friend of mine Matthew Ferry.
