His Director Left Him Alone
"Accountability breeds response-ability." — Stephen R. Covey
This past Saturday, I attended our men’s Bible study program, That Man Is You (TMIY), which meets at 6:15 am at the Church of the Holy Spirit. I know it’s early, but we are done by 7:45 am, and not too surprisingly, I don’t often have many other meetings or events that fall during this time slot. Ha!
My responsibility for these meetings is to take attendance, so I usually get there by 5:45 am, and once I have the sign-in sheets ready, I find a table where I break out my computer and start reviewing emails before the meeting gets going.
As I waited, I could smell the wonderful breakfast our volunteer kitchen team was preparing. We had the usual … eggs, bacon, chorizo, potatoes, beans, tortillas.
Yeah … typical South Texan cuisine!
Director Conversation
Around 6 am, Mike arrived for the meeting, and he sat at the table with me. I stopped staring into my laptop, and we began a conversation.
ME: “Hey, Mike! How’s life treating you?”
MIKE: “All good! No traffic this morning!”
ME: “Are you retired now?”
MIKE: “Yeah … I’ve been retired now for about 8 years, but before that, I worked as a logistical manager in Nevada for a supply chain company which provided medical supplies to hospitals around the States.”
ME: “Did you enjoy that kind of work?”
MIKE: “I did it for about 24 years, and it was perfect for me. I had a director who was in a different state, and he and I only spoke about 4 times per year. He made it clear to me that if the following three things were done, there was no need for us to have a conversation: (1) customers are happy, (2) employees are happy, and (3) you are not a pain in the butt!”
Great Workplace!
The workplace scenario Mike described is one that I love and appreciate. His director was busy doing “director-type” work, and he did not have time to micromanage his managers. Instead, he hired them, provided the necessary training, and intervened only when necessary.
As long as the managers met expectations, there was no need to have a conversation.
Of course, the managers for these types of self-driven positions must be carefully selected. I know from experience that some people need more hand-holding, and this type of employee will find it hard to work in an environment with limited contact from the higher-ups.
I know Mike pretty well now, and I can tell he is a responsible person. Think about it … he shows up for a 6:15 am Bible study meeting with other men who have the sole purpose of becoming better husbands, fathers, friends, and colleagues.
My Takeaway
When I hear these stories, I look for something I can use to become a better person and employee.
From this conversation, here are two takeaways …
Hire dedicated employees who have mission and vision alignment with our organization and give them the space they need to excel.
As an employee, I need to be fully accountable for my assigned work. I will seek clarification when needed, but the rest of the time, I will stay focused on my work to ensure it gets done well and on time.
In short, Mike reminded me that becoming a productive employee is really quite easy…
Do my job!
See you next weeks, my friends!
Closing Quotes
"It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable." - Molière
"At the end of the day, we are accountable to ourselves—our success is a result of what we do." – Catherine Pulsifer
Homework Inquiry
During the next week, here’s your homework inquiry: How will you show accountability?
I use this opportunity to share with you a unique story and a couple inspiring quotes. Oh ... as a professor at heart, you guessed it, I have a homework inquiry for you. This is a powerful question that might just trigger you to take action on something that really matters in your life. If you feel the Catalyst Newsletter brings benefit to you.