We were having a really difficult conversation. As business owners, we have all been there. Someone who has been part of the team for a while has not just stopped being a productive part of the team but has become a liability.
We all had a history with Jason and a vested interest in his success. Despite numerous discussions, improvement plans, and new performance agreements, things are not getting better. We knew his side of the story, and why Jason feels how he does. We knew that we had not been perfect in working with him. No one ever is. The time for talking about it and working with him was over.
During this last meeting on this subject Max, one of my colleagues, said “He is just not doing Admirable Work”. We all intuitively understood what he meant during the meeting, as we had all been together for years at that point. When I thought about it later I found it hard to put into words exactly what he meant. I called him later for help in clarifying this idea of “Admirable Work”.
On the call, Max described examples of Admirable Work by talking about others on the team. He described how we understand what it means to serve our customers well, and our part doing that. We not only work hard to ensure our work supports our customers, but we do what we can so that everyone else’s part is easier as well.
Admirable Work can show itself in many ways. It can show itself as working longer or harder to make sure my part is done in a way that works for the rest of the team. It may mean covering for someone when they are sick or overloaded. Maybe it could mean having an adult conversation about their performance. It also means apologizing for a problem we caused with a plan to prevent that problem going forward. It always means keeping a positive attitude, even in tough times.
Most importantly Admirable Work means extending these practices to our customers, who count on us every day to reach their goals.
At Towing Forward we are all about doing admirable work and that shows in the way we serve our customers. Contact us here to learn more.