I get it. Work is a hassle and the boss is a pain. But that first day of hunting season, visions of that twelve point crossing your cross hairs a half hour into the wait…heck, you get to the tree early.

Lets assume that you work for a pretty decent company. This means that you are recognized for your efforts, receive above average pay and benefits, tools, equipment and vehicles are in above average shape, have a multitude of educational opportunities and very few of your coworkers are slackers. The problem seems to be in your manager. It seems as if he’s always picking on you, that he’s got it in for you.

Now your manager is a very busy person. But he has been punctual with your annual performance review. And you’ve followed The Technician Shop protocol by requesting and getting additional time to discuss your education, professional development and performance issues throughout the year.

Your manager knows the problem, you know the problem: you are always late. You put forth a little effort and get to work on time, but you always slip back to your old ways. The problem with being late all the time is not your only problem. Your tardiness jades your performance. This means that you are not going to get the benefit of doubt when it comes to performance and behavioral issues with your manager. If, in the eyes of your manager, you are borderline between average and below average in a certain category, you’re more than likely to receive the below average mark.

Showing up for work on time is a mindset. You realize that it’s the right thing to do. You realize that you are going to cut down on work related hassles. You realize that your work related life is going to get a whole lot easier and you’ll notice how better your manager is treating you.

All you have to do is to be on time, just like getting to that tree stand or getting to that softball game or getting to the start of the fishing tournament on time.

Don’t go down this road man. Think first. Imagine all of the trouble, heartache and misery you will cause.

At first I was just going to focus on the job part of this. You know, the inevitable job loss and damaged reputation. But I can’t ignore your family brother. Why would you want to hurt your family? For the most part, married people who hook up don’t intend to hurt their family. But their actions do. You are plunging a dagger into your kids’ heart. And you are ripping your wife’s insides out.

If you feel that you’re beginning to slip into a bad situation, listen to the little guy in your head who stands for good. He’s telling you to stop. You can make this situation much easier to deal with if you make a commitment to yourself now – say I will not cheat on my wife and family. Program your mind with loyalty, dignity and respect.

Don’t hurt your kids. Don’t hurt your wife. Don’t hurt yourself. Be loyal, always.

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of objective people and endure honest criticism; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, by a well-raised child or social improvement; To know even one person has breathed a little easier because you lived; To accomplish this is to have succeeded.  – Harry Emerson Fosdick

What about you? Are you updated on your own vaccinations?

After you’ve looked into this vaccination matter with your own family and self, why not think about passing this information on to your customers and coworkers?

Really cool site with all the information you need to get started.

Send an electronic greeting card that conveys you care about their health and safety. A quick scroll through the pages here will give you a truck load of ideas.

Are you familiar with the term MRSA? It’s a term you might have heard on TV or maybe saw in a newspaper headline. I would bet the vast majority of people – like your customers, do not know exactly what it is. Send them a MRSA awareness greeting card. The cool thing about this is the card is brief and can be read in ten seconds. If your customer is aware of MRSA she hasn’t spent a lot of time on your communication. And it will register in the back of her mind that you care. If she isn’t aware of MRSA, there is a link in the card that will take her directly to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Why provide information like this to your customers?

When you provide information you are in practice with the gift of giving. It feels great to give. You should do it because you care about others. A benefit to your gesture will be that you are becoming more valuable to both your customer and your employer.

If you are a professional technician who cares about his work, you need only be good and embarrassed once to learn from this lesson. There’s no way you’ll leave a job site again before you check to make sure you left the power on.

Always make sure to turn the power back on and make sure the equipment is either running or can run, before you leave.

Not sure if I would do it, but I have had technicians tell me that they leave their truck keys by the breaker, thermostat or switch, so it will help them to remember to energize the system. Maybe there is another type of physical reminder that you can invent to help you in this.

Photo by blmurch on Flickr

Matt Michel brings up an excellent point in reference to making the statement “I don’t know.” He says it’s okay to say “I don’t know”, as long as it is followed by ” but I’ll find out.”

The ability to take care of customer concerns in a professional and caring manner is the mark of an excellent company. Keep this in mind when evaluating prospective employers or taking a closer look at the company that you work for.

Your work – It’s not so much the job, it’s what you put into it. We all travel a road. And on this road, we travel by different vehicles. Some are content to drive the same vehicle for a very long time. They maintain and put tender loving care into their vehicle. They are most proud of it. Others work their way from vehicle to vehicle. With each vehicle they find a little something more that they like about it than the last one. But they take care of each vehicle like it’s the last one they’ll ever have. This is how you should view each job that you have.

A little attention – Think about Mary at work. How much time do you think she has to pay attention to each of her customers? Not much, right? How then, can so many people remember and appreciate her efforts? You know the answer. Mary is real. She truly cares about people and how they are doing. She can convey this sense to people within a minute or two.

If Mary can do this in so little amount of time, what do you suppose you can do when you are in a customer’s home or place of business for over a half hour? You know. Be real. Care. Show it. Have fun. The goal is not to receive attention. But you will.

Don’t think for one minute that I am getting sappy on you. Are you a man? Can you stand squarely upon your own two feet and do something nice for someone? Even though some of your coworkers might snicker at you? Ok, enough about what other people think about you. You are a man. And we know you’d like to get some ideas to demonstrate to others that you care.

Suzie is one over worked dispatcher. She smokes too many cigarettes and you suspect that she pounds one too many beers at night. While at times it isn’t apparent, you know Suzie has your back. And she is always trying to be cheerful in spite of Bob your manager breathing down on her, the million phone calls per day, the mountain of paperwork all around her and you and your eleven other coworkers calling her on the radio – every ten minutes. Why not do something nice for Suzie?

Why not send Suzie some flowers at work? Or maybe give her a gift certificate to a local restaurant. Or maybe say thanks to Suzie for everything she does. You’ve always cared. Just show it.