do what you do and say what you say all the time
By: Cheryl Smith
I’ve often heard folks say you should act and do the same as you would if the whole world is watching you. That is the test of a person’s real character.
As a litmus test for my Three Live Crew Plus 1, I would ask about their actions, “Would you have done that if I were there?” Or “Would you have said that in front of Granny?”
Usually, the answer would be a resounding, “NO!”
And my response would be, “Then that proves you know what you were doing was wrong!”
Now, over the years, I have heard of some utterly gross acts from people, like spitting in food, picking up and using dirty utensils, and urinating in a drink; you get the picture.
A friend of mine, who exhibits such atrocious behavior is no longer a friend of mine.
It goes to character. Unethical behavior.
From time to time, I have watched the television show, Undercover Boss. The whole premise is that the “boss” would put on a disguise and go into the workplace to observe, evaluate and hopefully leave with a blueprint for making the business, product, and lives of customers and employees better.
Sadly, you have to guard employees like they are your children, but we have cultivated a society where excellence is not par for the course, and excuses, apologies and long, tired explanations are the order of the day.
What does having an impeccable work ethic look like today?
Do people even like their jobs?
You might think so the way some rush to get to work by driving down the highways like bats out of hell, speeding through school zones, cutting other cars off, refusing to let drivers merge and yelling incessantly; all while giving a driver the finger, or worse, brandishing a gun!
Then you have to ask what happened to civility or common courtesy?
Are we that unhappy with life that we want everyone to be as miserable as we are?
Recently, I was on a flight and over the speaker, passengers were told to sit their butts down. Do you think they would have been told in the same verbiage, manner, and tone had the CEO of that airline been aboard?
At a hotel, employees were yelling up and down the hall, singing and talking on their cell phones at 8am. Would they have acted the same if their bosses were observing?
I could go on, but you get where I am coming from, don’t you?
I remember working for a company, and the CEO began traveling almost weekly.
You could tell when she was gone. Her team suddenly had doctors/dentist appointments or car trouble, took longer lunches, arrived late, and departed super early.
Phone calls were going to voicemail more often than not, and there was a chilled, laid-back atmosphere. No one was moving at a fast pace or exhibiting any sense of urgency about their work.
So clearly, that was a team that had to be monitored, governed, and watched like they were children.
Many might say, “well, as long as they were getting their work done…”
But just think, how much more work and how much more productive they could have been going full speed ahead?
What’s wrong with overachieving a little?
What’s wrong with doing the right thing?
What’s wrong with doing the best when doing your job?
Folks say they don’t like Big Brother. They don’t want anyone spying on them. They want their privacy.
Well, can you be counted on to do the right thing when all eyes are not on you?
Can you be trusted?
Back in the day, my mother and her friends would say, “I never say what my child wouldn’t do when I am not around. I will give them a chance to tell the truth, and if their truth is not like anything I taught them, well they have to deal with the consequences.
Are you ready to deal with the consequences and repercussions of your actions?
Who are you, really?
Are you ready to pay the piper?
Do you have to be watched in order for you to be and do your best?
