Work Ethic

A solid work ethic, especially in this day and age, is absolutely necessary to keeping one's job and surviving in this shaky economy we have been experiencing over the past few years.  This latest deal to raise the debt ceiling will probably not make things any better as the biggest part of the package is cuts in spending which will mostly affect the poor and middle classes.  If anything, more people will lose jobs rather than have new jobs created in which to put people back to work.  It is a complicated issue that I am only mentioning because it has implications which almost none of us will be able to escape.  That is however, unless we devote ourselves to doing the best job at work that we possibly can.  This does not mean becoming a work-aholic.  Rather, it means that while at work during the day, however long that may be, we must strive to provide the best results we possibly can.  Regardless of what field we work in, if can prove that we are a valuable asset, then we will most likely keep our job.  Some may debate with me that regardless of what type of job we do, if a company needs to get rid of a position, they will do it regardless.  This may be so, but they will think twice if they can tangibly see the value that a person provides them.  Doing the best job possible does not mean simply focusing on the part of the job we actually enjoy doing, but focusing our efforts on every aspect of the job, from the moment we get there to the moment we leave. 

The field of work I am in is vastly different from the corporate world only in the fact that I don't sit in an office every day and work for someone else.  The basic tenets of a solid work ethic hold me just as strongly as they do any one who has a job.  There are many individuals who hold jobs that they don't enjoy and as such, don't give their best effort they possibly can.  Who will be the first to lose their job when cuts come?  It will be those who don't give 100% of themselves.   The field that I work in, a self-employed painting contractor, has a much more tangible product than say that of a financial planner or accountant, yet those who satisfy the customer or for that matter their boss, will succeed.  There will always be critics that say the economy has hurt them and their job and they just can't make it.  I believe that it is in part because they don't try.  One of the biggest areas to get hit when the economy went into a recession was that of contractors whether it be general contractors, electricians, plumbers, painters, whatever.  Yet I was able to continue to grow my business continually throughout this whole messy ordeal.  The only reason I was able to do that it is because I strive to provide the best possible product for the customer.  The prices I charged never went down and to date they still remain some of the highest prices for my services in the area I work.  I don't get all the jobs I bid on, in fact I usually only get about 40%.  But it is that 40% that I receive and the satisfaction that I provide to the customer that keeps me working.  People can lament their situation all they want, but there is always a way to succeed and the biggest part of the is doing the best possible job you can at everything you do. 

There is an obvious advantage for a person who loves what they do, it will be easier to do their best job every day than it is for the person who only partially likes or dislikes their job.  I learned from a very early age that if I didn't do my best job all the time, it would affect others and I would not have a job.  From the moment I learned that lesson, I attempted to give 100% to every job I had.  Was this always easy?  Absolutely not, but I learned how to shift my mentality and point of view to get through the day while still doing the best job possible.  It can be draining to give 100% when you don't like what you are doing, but if you can manage to do it with a positive attitude, you will eventually move beyond your job and get something better, it is only a matter of time.  Even if you are a dishwasher in a restaurant, if you give 100% and work your butt off, people will notice and move you to a more amicable position.  It is all a matter of perspective.  As I mentioned before, even if we do give a 100%, there will be times when a company or business simply can't support a given position any more and will release you from their service (nice way of saying firing you).  However, imagine what kind of reference you can get if you gave a 100% at that job when looking for another one.  I guarantee that you will get a much better reference from your former employer than if you had only put in 80% or 75%.   This is a tough job market for everyone and those that succeed are those that make themselves desirable to employers.  The easiest way to do this is to improve your work ethic and show those hiring that you are a valuable asset or even to show your current employer that it would be a grave mistake to let you go.  I can talk about this till I am blue in the face, however, if people do not take heed and implement a solid work ethic in their own lives, nothing will be able to help them.  What kind of work ethic do you have?  Keep that question in mind as you go to work today, push through, and look forward to the weekend.