The key to getting ahead at work isn’t just following orders; it’s taking responsibility for success and delivering.
Maybe that’s obvious. And maybe it’s even so trite that it sounds as if I took it from one of those pop-psychology management books. (The ones that make you gag on their gung-ho team approach to “problem-solving.” Ugh!)
But the truth is that many people simply prefer being bossed around – even if they grumble and complain – to taking responsibility for their own actions and coming up with their own solutions. By coming up with one’s own solutions to workplace problems, I’m not espousing anarchy, mind you. I’m merely pointing out a glaring problem in today’s leaner, more demanding work environments. Many people cannot or will not take initiative or come up with a better way of organizing or completing their work, even if they are encouraged by word or deed – or money – to do so.
Let me give you an example.
At a small magazine I know, the art director was given the job of redesigning the look of the publication. Given a similar opportunity – which isn’t all that common in publishing – most art directors would leap at the chance to leave their imprint on a body of work that is seen by thousands of subscribers a month. Not this art director, who had been promoted into his job essentially by default when the previous art director quit.
Instead of asking the editor and publisher for input or inquiring about possible changes in the magazine’s content, the art director came up with a few sketches that were not much different from the current design and presented them as either-or choices.
“What magazines do you look at regularly that you think may have design elements we could learn from?” asked the editor.
“I read design magazines,” the art designer responded. “Their ideas really wouldn’t translate to our field.”
“But how would you design our magazine if you had a totally clean slate?” the editor asked, knowing full well that the three ultimate decision-makers – the editor, the publisher and the company president – wouldn’t object to any new design, so long as the magazine was legible and attractive.
“Pretty much like what I designed,” came the passionless reply.
Ultimately, after design input from the editor himself and others at the company, a new look for the magazine was created. The art director was somewhat satisfied with it, but grumbled about how some of the standard design elements constrained what he could do with each issue. (He failed to understand that he could have changed those elements as part of his redesign – or that he could slowly make changes with each new issue).
Instead of seizing an opportunity for personal growth – and for a more impressive resume, should the need for a new job ever arise – the art director was mildly annoyed at the extra work the redesign represented. The fact that the company was getting something extra out of him that wasn’t in his job description also annoyed him.
Is the art director typical of your co-workers? For the sake of your morale and your company’s success, I hope not.
(C) Copyright 2001 Evan Cooper. Syndicated by Paradigm News, Inc.
