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Getting to the Point A newsletter about the business of life
August 10, 2005

In this issue
  • FREE Skill Set For Every Employee
  • Others have said
  • On a personal note
  • Profitable Horseman Newsletter

  • FREE Skill Set For Every Employee
    red toolbox

    I had a discussion with my daughter Elizabeth recently about her job at a local convenience store. She is a cash register operator. A few days ago we talked about her summer and the process of gathering things to begin her first semester at college. The conversation drifted to her job and I asked her what she had learned in her experience working at the convenience store. Like most teenagers, her response was, “Not much”.

    I asked her the question a different way, “ What did you learn about people?” “If you are nice to them, they will be nice to you, eventually even the grumpy ones.

    What did you learn about working with the other employees? “If the group of workers at the store are good people, it makes the job fun.

    How is running the cash register, selling lottery tickets, getting ID from beer buyers, watching the gas pumps and answering the telephone, now, compared to the first few times you were on the job? “The first few days were rough. So many things to remember and so much happening at once. Now it’s easy to keep things running smoothly.

    What do the owners of the business do? “They are there to open the store every morning and talk to the customers. They’re friendly and know most of the customers. I think they do well with the business financially, but they work hard at it.

    So Elizabeth, sounds to me like you did learn some things.

    OK, OK, Dad I get the point. . . . I learned:

    1. A kind voice and a smile will get your farther than a frown and not talking at all.
    2. When the team at the store gets along well with each other, the time passes quickly and work is not drudgery.
    3. I can learn to handle new situations; when I’m working in an Emergency Room after college, I’ll have experienced the feeling of working in an environment under pressure already.
    4. To be successful at what I do, I have to show up and be ready to work hard when it’s necessary. If I have my own business, no one else will do my work.

    One last question Elizabeth, how much did the owners charge you to learn those things that you can take with you and use the rest of your life?

    Daaad!!!

    Why is it so seldom recognized that all jobs are learning opportunities and provide the employee more than a paycheck? Many business owners view the positions in their companies as “just another job.”, which means that the employee sees himself as “just another worker.”

    The next time you are recruiting employees for entry level jobs, don’t forget to point out that the employee gets to take with him, free of charge, a toolbox full of skills that he can use forever. A direct, tax free, benefit from the school of hard work.

    Learning to be a catalyst for customer service is one of the eight strategies for success I can teach you to help you grow your business. Would you like to know more? click here


    Others have said

    "Measure not the work until the day's out and the labor done." -- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

    "When a man tells you that he got rich through hard work, ask him, 'Whose?'". -- Don Marquis

    "Life grants nothing to us mortals without hard work." -- Horace


    On a personal note
    chessboard

    A former boss, Ed Hope, had a smoker’s voice that sounded like gravel grinding. He was demanding, but fair, and looked out for all of the employees in the business like a father.

    Ed had a way of viewing the world with an abundance of common sense and the things he said to others and to me still echo in my head over 25 years later. I still use “Ed-isms” every now and then to make a point. I am thankful that I got paid to do a job and was allowed to take a wealth of experience and knowledge with me to use for the rest of my life free of charge, when I left the job.


    Deewochagall

    Thanks for reading. Please forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might enjoy it. The subscriber list continues to grow thanks to your efforts.

    Newsletter topic ideas and comments are always welcome. Send me an e-note.

    Life is short, ride hard.

    Doug


    Profitable Horseman Newsletter

    I also write a weekly electronic newsletter for Professional Horsemen. If you are interested in the business world of horsemen, or have friends in the horse business,take a peek. I am spurring others on to help me promote this newsletter.


    8 Key Strategies for More Profit in Less Time

    Does your business need a plan to simplify and create more profit in less time? Find out what the 8 key strategies are. click here

    Past issues of Getting to the Point Newsletter and Blog

    Click Here For Past issues

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