Labor Day Weekend always makes my favorite weekend's list.....the turn back to the school year, the break of the heat, and the celebration of a rock solid American Value: WORK.
Over the past 90 days I've dramatically increased the number of new people I've talked to in the world of recruiting for PAVERART......probably have talked to 10x any previous period. Truth be told, this "spike" in activity is over a VERY small base, and I now realize that talking to a bunch of people should be part of my everyday routine.
Even at the ripe old age of 48 we can realize we just aren't spending time in the most impactful areas, but I digress....
A few observations come front and center for this Labor Day Weekend and we close out the summer of 2022.
Godfathers matter. Mentors if you'd like to call it that.....
They come AFTER they see you perform. YOU, what your about, what you can DO, how you can HELP matters SO MUCH MORE than your pedigree/degree.
Quiet Quitting. Same Day, different term.
We taped an episode on the Hustle or Bust Podcast on Quiet Quitting, which seems to be all the rage on social media.
My Take:
1) I don't think this anything new, it's always been here. TikTok however has amplified the conversation.
2) BRING IT ON: Let's for a moment say that the % of the world that identifies as "Quiet Quitters" (people doing the bare minimum) has started to INCREAS over time. There's more of them, it's more accepted, etc. NOW WHAT?
First off, acknowledge what a gift!
If you are coming up in your career and you are surrounded by MORE people in the QQ crowd vs those aspiring to GROWTH, you've been handed an amazing generational opportunity to stand out in a massive way. Like it or not, businesses and individuals are compared to a set of peers in a competitive marketplace. The more that just strive to get by, the more the "average" gets pulled down. When bars get lowered, the easier they are to jump over, AND the margin you jump over the average increases. Reeks of opportunity.
The same goes for the small business.
Customer service is a lost ART. Practice how to get better at it and you'll stand out MORE today than 2 decades ago.
A corollary to the QQ side of the equation?
People that can do the absolute basics of doing what you say you will do (basics):
Show Up.
On Time.
Look People in The EYE.
Send a confirmation text/phone call, and post acknowledgement.
Sound simple?
It is. But if you do them, you are ALSO in a group that is the exception, not the norm.
Embrace the Grind.
A true superpower in life is to SHUT OUT people's opinions, judgement and expectations of YOU.
Embrace the fact that YOU control your own destiny, not your parents, friends, teachers, etc.
The actual work IS the joy. The struggle. Overcoming adversity.
Obsessed with status, titles and the glamor? I may suggest the world of entrepreneurship may not be the best path. But it can certainly be taken too far, for a laugh!
Gratitude
The end of summer, at least for the last 3 years has been bittersweet. Dominic, now a grizzled veteran at 15 years old just finished his third summer working at PAVERART. It's been fun seeing him struggle to wake up at 4am, get caught on his iphone 97 times, and also learn what it's like to achieve.
We went on a vacation to the Jersey Shore.......went on a few bike rides, visited a client's home, and generally breathed a bit.
Pity Party, Table of One!
The clip below I often think about......the production workers at a Meat Plant that celebrated a co-workers birthday. Every time I have the fleeting "pity party of one" I think back to this moment. It's a great reset for me, we all need that reset button.
Labor Day matters. Work Matters. Struggling, Gratitude and Celebrating Matters. Showing up Matters. Hats off to all of those that continue to answer the bell and make today a bit better than yesterday.