Wednesday Words
To Go Where Your VisionPoints, a few inspiration points for you and your business.
Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest.
—Mark Twain
What if you see a broken window at work—the little or not-too-little problem that could lead to bigger problems seeming like just another drop in the bucket—and decide not to do anything about it?
What if you see a broken window, say a little something, and accept that others don’t give it the attention that it needs, since it’s not your problem?
Or…
What if you were to go all out for your company, scream and yell about the problem people around you are willing to ignore, and get things fixed because that’s the right thing to do for the company and for your own conscience?
You might start a movement.
And if you don’t?
Well, you’ll get the window fixed.
Having the guts to do the right thing? Not just astonishing, these days.
Zdumienie.*
Grow and be well,
Kelly Erickson
*Amazing.
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16 September 2009, 8:07 am
@Kelly
In our Factory, you would be told to fill in a maintenance request. Which goes on a 13-week cycle.
They would spend more time making a sign saying “Caution, Broken Window” than the time it would take to fix it.
Meanwhile, the managers would issue a 12-page procedure that took months to write, on the use of Factory-approved footwear. And tell us to to make sure we wear a hat and mittens when it’s cold outside.
PS. Brett tried to get a broken stair fixed once. You should ask him about it.
(Hey, Brett, are the raccoons still inside your building? )
Friar´s latest blog… Proof that Hippies are Alive and and Well on Twitter
16 September 2009, 8:26 am
Friar,
I know you’d do right, though. I just know.
I think Brett wrote about that stair once… *searches through old bookmarks* ah, yes, here it is: Fix the Stairs. What a horror story. Always do right, or muddle it so badly that people forget the point? Eeek.
Regards,
Kelly
16 September 2009, 9:01 am
Yep, the rakins (see Trailer Park Boys for this pronunciation) are still alive and well. I found some droppings last week just outside my office door…
Perhaps we’ll be able to fix broken windows and stairs at the Factory once the new management comes in with their chainsaws and guts the place.
Can I have a chainsaw too?
Brett Legree´s latest blog… 6 weeks 2 days.
16 September 2009, 9:03 am
Here’s a link to the video… (language warning!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHQ7bt5LBj8
Brett Legree´s latest blog… 6 weeks 2 days.
16 September 2009, 10:50 am
@Brett – Irony of ironies — if Ricky had just fixed the d*mned window, he would have had to wasted two pounds of weed!
Quoth the Racon, “Nevermore”.
~Graham
16 September 2009, 12:58 pm
@Graham,
You caught that little nuance too, eh? I thought it an appropriate video…
Brett Legree´s latest blog… 6 weeks 2 days.
16 September 2009, 1:00 pm
Kelly
You forget, that at the Factory, if you even TOUCH any kind of tool, or even THINK of fixing something by yourself, you’ll get reprimanded. And the Union will file a grievance against you.
16 September 2009, 2:23 pm
Friar,
Metaphor, my dear. Sometimes it’s more about the shouting than about bringing in the actual hammer, eh?
Brett, Graham,
umm…?
Canadian t.v. (well, that show, anyway) is a bit… different… eh?
Droppings outside your door is just horrid. Sometimes, as you know, the stories from that Factory are hard to believe. Yeesh.
Until later,
Kelly
16 September 2009, 2:44 pm
Heh heh that’s what makes it brilliant.
Who wants to watch a TV show about impossibly good looking doctors / lawyers / law enforcement officers – who seem to have everything go their way, in the end.
If I watched those shows, well, I’d feel worse at the end.
But TPB… now, there’s a show. Makes me laugh, and makes me think, no matter how bad my day was, I’m nowhere near as much of a loser as Ricky and the boys.
(Not that I think I’m a loser, just making my point. Joe Sixpack who works at a real widget factory can laugh at Ricky and say the same thing. And yet, it is subliminally clever… pretty cool. By the way there is a new feature-length TPB movie coming out soon – yeah!!!)
Brett Legree´s latest blog… 6 weeks 2 days.
16 September 2009, 2:53 pm
(Oh, lordy, they’ll have to allow beer at the movie theatres!)
16 September 2009, 4:31 pm
You mean they don’t?
Brett Legree´s latest blog… 6 weeks 2 days.
16 September 2009, 4:36 pm
Well, sir, not in my neck o’the woods.
But you really do live in the woods, so I can’t say.
16 September 2009, 5:13 pm
(When the movie “The Doors” was in theatre – wow, how long ago was that – we brought a case of beer into the theatre. I’m not quite sure how we managed that… but it made the movie pretty good!)
Brett Legree´s latest blog… 6 weeks 2 days.
16 September 2009, 5:38 pm
@Kelly
Well, as I recently emailed you, there was a case, when I DID do some mild “shouting”. Tried to address what was a legitimate safety concern.
One nameless person literally told me to “NOT” be bringing up those questions. Put me in a really uncomfortable position. Ignore it…it’s not a big deal. They were quite aggressive, trying to silence me.
But (contrary to their bullying) I did the right thing and followed up anyway. Went to my supervisors for advice, and we resolved the problem?
But now that other person (who I have to report to on a daily basis) is MAD at me for going to my boss. IT’s like I’m the “Bad guy” for going behind her back. With MY BOSS suddenly backing down, not defending me, and almost apologizing to THEM.
So now I’m in the doghouse. I left work with a stomach ache that lasted hours. And I’m trying to figure out where else I can find work without having to move.
You know what? Next time, I’ll LEAVE the God-damned window broken.
In fact, I’m almost half-tempted to smash a few of them myself.
(Figuratively speaking).
Friar´s latest blog… Proof that Hippies are Alive and and Well on Twitter
16 September 2009, 5:53 pm
Well, Friar, my attempt at discretion is now outed. LOL! This post was based on your true story. There just aren’t enough folks willing to go out on a limb to fix the broken window. (Metaphor stretched to the breaking point…)
Mark Twain would be proud, and more than a little astonished.
You did the right thing, and inspired me greatly.
16 September 2009, 6:51 pm
@Kelly and Brett – In Germany, people not only drank in theatres, they smoked too. This was early 90s, so I’m not sure if that is still the case.
And in Amsterdam, well, let’s just say I saw the complete “Godfather III” movie in what seemed like about 15 minutes…
~Graham
(Ah, the salad days…)
16 September 2009, 7:00 pm
Graham,
If you’re relating back to the name of your landscape-company, as to why the movie seemed to go so fast, well, let’s just say this is a business blog and I can’t comment. Though I always found Dark Side of the Moon took about three hours… *ahem.*
Later…
16 September 2009, 7:08 pm
@Kelly – lol, and if the band you’re in starts playing differen tunes…
~Graham
16 September 2009, 7:14 pm
Duuude.
(Erm, I don’t know what we’re talking about. No, I don’t.)
16 September 2009, 9:02 pm
@Kelly
NO. WAY.
Hahahah! I had NO IDEA this was based on my true story/email to you. I’m so clue-less! Here I am ranting at what happened to me, and that was the point of your whole POST!
HAHAHAHAH!
This made my evening!
Friar´s latest blog… Proof that Hippies are Alive and and Well on Twitter
16 September 2009, 9:06 pm
Totally. Clueless.
Why I adore Friar, part deux.
16 September 2009, 9:50 pm
And the thing is, Friar’s probably not even drunk. Though he might be watching Trailer Park Boys.
17 September 2009, 7:41 am
@Brett
I’m giving Trailer Park Boys a rest. Seen the re-runs too many times.
I’ll give it a while, then start watching ‘em again. And again and AGAIN.
We’ll have to point Kelly out to their Christmas Special, in a few months.
Surprised that show hasn’t caught on in the States yet. (After all, they DID like Red Green).
Friar´s latest blog… Proof that Hippies are Alive and and Well on Twitter
17 September 2009, 8:04 am
I’m sure that will be a holiday joy.
What was the topic here?
Oh, yeah. Friar.