Timing

     I thought I was ready for a promotion to a Team Lead years ago. My good friend Sharon pointed out that I was not presenting myself as promotable due to the attitudes I made visible when presented with change.

 Lesson One:

     I took some time to retrain myself to respond accurately. To embrace change as quickly as possible. It wasn't easy to agree with a decision you did not agree with. But I had to find something I could latch on to. Or I had to disconnect myself from it and remind myself that it was NOT my business to run. It is this companies business. Some day I may be asked for my opinion on the changes presented. That day is not today. Someday I'll be running a business and expect my employees to run with it instead of fight it!

     Just like when I remind a customer that I am not the one who overdrew their account nor am I the one who charged them a fee for doing so, I'm merely the interpreter. I must remind myself that I am not the one asked to make decisions at this time. I am the one asked to follow them through, and I am the one being PAID to do so.

     Company A asks me to come work for them. They pay me X amount of dollars. Therefore ANYTHING, legal and ethical, that they ask me to do is what I'm being paid for. THEREFORE, I do NOT have the right to balk at ANY decision they make. Once I separated MY personal feelings, which is the root of all selfishness, and remembered that I was being paid do a job, not being paid to like it or agree with it, then I became much more sane!

     Lesson Two:

     I learned that I am being watched by others... leader by title or not. Therefore EVERYTHING I do will reflect upon my work and my coworkers. Once I decided that I was a leader and started acting like it... I respected myself better.... and so did management!

     I got promoted to become a Coach and train others... I'm looking forward to doing more to sow seed to better my company now... in return I EXPECT to receive the same from my employees when I start my own businesses. It's amazing how a little maturity makes the difference.

     In the end it wasn't my performance that got my moved up... it was my attitude. My performance bought me the right to be heard. Which only helped after I had something worthwhile to say...

     Good night.... parting thoughts.... How are YOU being PERCEIVED by your peers and superiors at your place of employment or in your arena of influence?



                           Darrell G. Wolfe