Is It Really Your Fault For What You Don't Know?
It's not your fault.Well, wait that's not true.It wasn't your fault at first, but it's slowly becoming your fault.
You weren't given the right skill set in school.
You didn't learn how to use a spreadsheet or to balance an operating budget or how to negotiate the scope of a project.It's not your fault that you didn't learn, then.It's just that now, now that you're out there in the real world, it's your fault for not knowing.
Of course, this isn't fair--but it's the way it is.
You have to deal with the pain of not knowing these things and so does your employer.
Here's an example:
Let's just say that by not being good at Excel, you lose 1 hour per week of time.That's not a lot out of a typical 40-hour week. It's 2.5% of your total work week.But now let's just say that the same is true for most people.There are about 3 billion workers in the global workforce.Multiply that times a typical hourly rate like $10/hr.1-hour x 4 weeks x 12 months x $10 rate x 3 billion workers = $1.4 Trillion
Let's look at that with all the zeros.
$1,440,000,000,000Yeah. That's a lot of work waste.
2 Minute Action
You're not responsible for what happened, but you ARE responsible for what happens next.Your expectations and standards are up to you, but consider that you might not be the only one paying for them.
- Take 2 minutes to watch a YouTube video on something that could improve your work.
- Take 2 minutes to read a Harvard Business Review article that could give you a new perspective.
- Take 2 minutes to schedule time with a mentor or expert in your field and present them with the biggest problem you're facing.
It won't take 2 minutes to be a different person so don't expect that.
It takes thousands of minutes, and you can only clock thousands of minutes if you're doing it consistently day after day.Today is no exception.It's another Wednesday.Let's make it a good one.
The Counterintuitive Effect Of Employee Of The Month
What is it about the employee of the month program that feels so fake and contrived?The weird thing is, that it's programs like this, that are intended to recognize people for their hard work, that fall short in delivering the one thing that people need to be the best, highest output versions of themselves.It's the recognition for their work that people are looking for.It's the idea that their work matters.Still unsure? Check out these quick and powerful stats about employee recognition.
It's clear:
People don't leave bad jobs.People leave bad managers.
So what do you do?
Take literally 2 minutes each day and recognize someone on your team.
2 Minute Action:
Just call them out for something they did when no one was looking.
- Send an email.
- Post in your Slack lobby.
- Write a thank you card.
It takes 2 minutes.Everyone has 2 minutes to recognize the people around you for the great work they're doing.