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Dont Settle
Chuck was the best of the twenty-four candidates. Still, he didn't have exactly what I was looking for and my instincts warned me of his unusual personality. Yet the skills required for the job were specialized and he had most of them, and I'd been interviewing for five months, and my boss wanted the position filled before the budget process started. No, he might not be perfect, but he would be ok. So I hired Chuck. As a new manager, it was a decision I came to regret. Chuck turned out to be a marginal performer, never grew into the job, and drew frequent complaints from his teammates. It might have taken me five months to hire Chuck, but it took me eighteen to fire him. Still, I'm grateful for the experience. Chuck taught me a lesson I applied in my next twenty years in management: don't settle. When you settle, you choose mediocrity. Don't settle for the best of the worst. Keep looking. Don't settle for something that's barely okay. Push to make it better. Don't settle for average work from others when exceptional is needed. And don't settle for delivering good when you're capable of better. Expect more from yourself. Then expect more from others. Whenever I've settled, the work or decision comes back like a boomerang, reminding me to keep my standards high. As W. Somerset Maugham says, "It is a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it." I know that's been my experience. There's a story I like about Phidias, a Greek sculptor working on the Acropolis. As he was finishing a statue of Athena, which would stand a hundred feet high next to a marble wall, an onlooker asked, "Why are you chiseling strands of hair on the back of her head where no one will see them or even know they're there? "I'll know," replied Phidias. I wish I would have found a cabinet maker with that same attitude when we were building our home. When we moved in, we discovered tops of cabinets uncapped and unstained. It's true no one would see them. But, it was not the quality of work we expected, paid for or wanted. The cabinet maker had settled for mediocre. But we didn't. We had him do them over. People who are winning at working know when good is not good enough. They operate like Phidais, not our cabinet maker. They understand that quality work is not an accident. It's a deliberate focus that starts with high personal standards. People who are winning at working don't settle for mediocre. Not in others. And not in themselves. (c) 2005 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved. Sign up to receive Nan's free biweekly eColumn at http://www.winningatworking.com. Nan Russell has spent over twenty years in management, most recently with QVC as a Vice President. She has held leadership positions in Human Resource Development, Communication, Marketing and line Management. Nan has a B.A. from Stanford University and M.A. from the University of Michigan. Currently working on her first book, Winning at Working: 10 Lessons Shared, Nan is a writer, columnist, small business owner, and instructor. Visit http://www.nanrussell.com or contact Nan at info@nanrussell.com.
MORE RESOURCES: Careers at CMS CMS Work At Chess.com Chess.com Report: community college students need more career guidance Inside Higher Ed Careers - Human Resources Kennesaw State University Will Artificial Intelligence Steal My Job? | On Careers | U.S. News U.S News & World Report Money Jobs and Training at FDA FDA.gov Careers at TWU | The Office of Human Resources | TWU Texas Woman's University Workers eager to fill 3,000 Las Vegas jobs to build Brightline Fox 5 Las Vegas Careers Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Careers Micron Careers at FEMA FEMA Tesla mass layoffs impact Bay Area, with over 2,750 jobs lost San Francisco Chronicle Careers | Job Opportunities | MaineHealth MaineHealth Careers at Bucknell Bucknell University Curry College launches job guarantee program Inside Higher Ed Career Paths FEMA Job Search Results - Careers at UnitedHealth Group UnitedHealth Group My career race is in the home stretch, here's what I know Financial Times Industry sells workers on ag jobs The Western Producer Veterans and transitioning military | VA Careers VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs Green careers report: Understanding green jobs and their increasing demand The Economic Times Data indicates a strong job market but some employment seekers — even those with a Ph.D. — say they struggle Yahoo Finance Careers Smith College Grécourt Gate What Researchers Discovered When They Sent 80000 Fake Résumés to U.S. Jobs The New York Times Careers at NATO NATO HQ Apply for a Job The City of Vancouver, WA Despite lagging performance, California expected to avoid recession Los Angeles Times Join our team FHI 360 Careers at USI University of Southern Indiana Careers Medline Newsroom Work for Us (U.S National Park Service Careers The Ocean Cleanup Careers at Air Liquide Air Liquide Careers | US Forest Service USDA Forest Service Discover Exciting Job Opportunities at LPL Financial LPL Financial Understanding America's Labor Shortage uschamber.com Lawsuit claims Sheetz denied employment to class of job applicants because of their race WPXI Pittsburgh Careers Technip Energies Opinion | Want a 'lazy girl job'? Think again. The Washington Post Early careers UBS AI Will Transform the Global Economy. Let's Make Sure It Benefits Humanity. International Monetary Fund Industry Jobs • ASI Advertising Specialty Institute Careers CPKC Work Here UnitedHealth Group CoinGecko Careers: Careers at CoinGecko CoinGecko Careers with Impact IFC Press Releases Early Careers | Mondelēz International, Inc. Mondelez International New college grads are more likely to be unemployed in today's job market The Washington Post Jobs of Tomorrow: Large Language Models and Jobs | World Economic Forum World Economic Forum Highest-paying jobs in America in 2024, according to U.S. News report Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Best job site of 2024 TechRadar 7 Best Careers to Get Rich - Jobs That Make Millionaires The Military Wallet Education and Development WellSpan Health The Challenges of Retiring from a High-Powered Job HBR.org Daily Opinion | The A.I. Economy Will Make Jobs More Human The New York Times Explore and find your profession TotalEnergies.com John Lewis publishes job interview questions to aid preparation Personnel Today Find a Role Bain & Company Careers at UNHCR UNHCR Jobs Energy.gov Upgraded National Career Service portal to give job market a fillip Business Standard Employment Opportunities City of Windsor Careers City of Somerville Careers | City of Norfolk, Virginia - Official Website City of Norfolk (.gov) Jobs at Parks Canada Canada.ca Employment Opportunities Unity Health Toronto Careers & Employment Pinellas County Departments - Human Resources - Job Openings and Descriptions City of Round Rock ADM Job Openings Unlocking Nature. Enriching Life. | ADM Students & Internships Verizon City Jobs charlottenc.gov Current Job Openings Pinellas County Find your next job at UC University of Cincinnati Careers – Official Website of Arlington County Virginia Government - Advisory Groups & Commissions Careers – Official Website of Arlington County Virginia Government Advisory Groups & Commissions |
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