Credit vs. Benefit
& Who Cares…
We work so hard, for so long, for so many people: our bosses, Guests, Clients, Customers,
Family Members, Friends, & Coworkers.
We wonder if anyone really cares about the work we’re doing?
Naturally, we all want to get some credit for our work. It’s nice to hear nice things, and we
all love to get noticed. We aspire
to be known for our great ideas,
countless hours of hard work, and most of all, our performance. Yet the opposite often happens – we
don’t get to bask in our glory and/or someone else takes the credit for our
bright ideas or claims responsibility for our own excellence.
And…we’re right back where we started, wondering, who really cares about the work we’re doing?
Negative thoughts show up, take over, and consume our very
being at home and at work.
Insert OneMoreStep Thought HERE
What if we focus on the benefit? What if everyone just focused on the
people, the processes, or the very organizations that would truly benefit from our work?
Rather than focusing on who gets the credit, what if teams
and leaders of teams put the emphasis on the impact…the actual benefits – the competitive advantages realized, the inspiration, the assistance,
the time saved, the relationships made, the money saved, the individuals whose careers advance – all because of the
work people do.
What if you and I go first…as we devote our time and energy,
we focus on the benefits vs. who gets
the credit? If we can sustain
this approach consistently day in and day out, over time everything eventually
gets exposed. Over time the people
around us: our bosses, our organizations, our teams, and our family members to
whom we pledge our allegiance will all reach their full potential and enjoy
success.
And it will be to our credit…
As for who really
cares about what we’re doing…it’s the people who benefit from the very work
you and I do. The people we
inspire. The people we
assist. The people we help advance. The people whose lives we impact, just
by doing what we do. They're the ones that care. That's enough reason to go OneMoreStep...
So we should focus on them instead of ourselves in the first
place. We should focus on the "who", "whom", or "what" that actually benefits...right from the start.
As for who gets the credit...who cares!
Have a great day.
Taylor
Taylor,
ReplyDeleteOne of the toughest things for people to do is to work without appreciation. I am not talking about a raise or bonus every time someone does something good. I am talking about the simple pat on the back. The
http://goonemorestep.blogspot.com/2011/08/hugs-handshakes-hi-5s.html
hugs, handshakes and high-5s of the world. When people do not receive these basic appreciations the credit becomes even more important. I have totally noticed that when the love is felt by a team on a regular basis, the benefit becomes much more important than the credit. Those feelings of being appreciated lead to an “It’s just what we do here,” mentality. No one needs to show what they have done for the team, because the boss is High-fiving everyone. They are just proud to show what the team has done for the cause.
Tom
Ps. Please add the search feature to your blog! I had a devil of a time going back to find the Hugs, Handshakes and High-5s article! You know how I love to reference your stuff!