Re: Work Ethic - Having it, Expecting Others to Have it

[Mike Cohen] "I would be interested in the views of others on this. How to instill your own work ethic in others."

Just like beauty, work ethic is in the eye of the beholder. As a business owner that operates by himself 75% of the time, I don't have to worry about this a whole lot. When I hire a new freelancer I sit down with him/her and explain a few things:

1. You are expected to be able to do things you say can do and do them well
2. If you lied on your resume and can't do what you say you can do, than I will not do what I said I would do which is pay you the full amount of what we agreed on.
3. You are here to do one thing and one thing only....MAKE ME MONEY!!

There is no reason for me to hire you if I can't make money off of you. There is no reason for me to deal with the hassles of you potentially screwing up, slacking off, pissing off the client, dropping my expensive camera, etc. if I don't have an upside which is profit. On the other hand:

I DON'T KNOW THEIR STORY. What I mean by that is, this is a human being with problems, fears, core pain, bad and good relationships etc. On any given day, or given week for that matter, a great worker can be a crappy worker. Or perhaps you see potential in someone that's worth cultivating, this isn't an employee but an investment and there is a difference.

I have a young man who works for me frequently who by all rights should have never been asked back on a job. But something told me to keep working with him so I did. Turns out he has a very troubled home life and struggles with clinical depression and suicidal thoughts. Most other jobs he would get were union stage hand and PA jobs where he was treated like a head of cattle which furthered his mental state. I pride myself in making a job fun for everyone and letting everyone on crew know that they are an equal part of the equation and the machine won't run without them. I tell them I expect them to work hard when required but to take a breather when not. If they do a good job and it's a good show I always give them something extra. Because I treated this kid with respect and dignity and took an interest in him as a person, he started confiding in me. I was able to give him some tools that I learned from my wife who is a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Counselor and one of the finest people I know. Because of this in part, the young man is turning his life around. He's using the tools, empowering himself, and gaining more and more confidence and skills on every job. I pay him more now because he's worth it and I tell him that.

90% of all employee issues can be overcome with good management skills. So in answer to your query Mike, I think it is highly unrealistic to "instill your work ethic on others". The question I saw between the lines here is "why can't they be like me???" They are not and never will be you. May I suggest you encourage them instead to find their own work ethic, their own pace, and above all else, empower them to be healthy balanced individuals who value work as PART of their life. To expect anything else is what my wife likes to call an "unrealistic expectation". What I mean by that is, what is realistic and perfectly reasonable to you might not be to them. The only way to find out is to get to know them and empower them by what you find out.



Mick Haensler
Higher Ground Media