new me – confident, satisfied, feeling like I was a contributing factor to the business.

What a difference to go from abject failure as a cold call sales person to successful managing editor of a magazine.

Was I still the same person? Yes. The difference was how my boss treated me and the responsibilities I managed.

Take the time to truly look at each employee’s performance and ask yourself:

- Do they appear to feel successful?
- Are they leading/teaching their peers?
- Are they eager – appearing for work on time or early – volunteering for additional assignments?
- Are there certain tasks in which they

As much as we’d like everyone to be our clone: same work ethic, owner mentality, intelligence level, capable of seeing the big picture and multi-tasking, that’s just not reality. Let’s face it – you and I are the only truly superior business people and everyone else is striving to be us. But seriously, everyone brings their own special talents to the table.

If all our associates were great sales people, who would handle finance, marketing, technology or human resources? As considerate leaders we have to look to the innate value of each associate or else our turn over rate will be greater than a fast food restaurant.

In the Bible, Jesus describes the church as a human body – lots of different parts all working together for greater success.

As an associate – there’s nothing worse than going to work everyday, dreading the experience. Certainly you’ve had jobs where you just didn’t feel successful and the hours would drag, right?

Think back to that experience. Could it have been a miserable situation because your job involved tasks for which you weren’t comfortable or felt well suited?

I once worked for the phone company in one of their phone stores and I loved it. I enjoyed helping people select their phone equipment and I felt successful. Circumstances in my life required I move to another city and I attempted to transfer to a sister company. I applied for what I thought was a customer service job. However, the day that I interviewed, they were interviewing for customer service representatives and cold call sales associates. The distinction between the two openings wasn’t made clear in the interview and I accepted a position that wasn’t what I’d applied for.

I very quickly learned that cold calling was not for me. I did everything I could to avoid picking up the phone and making those calls. Several painful months went by before my boss called me into his office with the message that I was no longer needed. I was devastated but relieved.

I wasn’t suited for cold calling.

I soon landed a job working for a franchisee of a magazine called Travelhost – the Cincinnati edition. The owner and I attended training together and began the work of building the magazine franchise in our area. My responsibilities involved interviewing, writing, editing and designing print advertising and local interest articles. My boss sent me to the Art Institute of Cincinnati for a layout and design class (in those days it involved paper and a lot of rubber cement as opposed to InDesign or Quark computer programs).

After six months I found a new me – confident, satisfied, feeling like I was a contributing factor to the business.

What a difference to go from abject failure as a cold call sales person to successful managing editor of a magazine.

Was I still the same person? Yes. The difference was how my boss treated me and the responsibilities I managed.

Take the time to truly look at each employee’s performance and ask yourself:

- Do they appear to feel successful?
- Are they leading/teaching their peers?
- Are they eager – appearing for work on time or early – volunteering for additional assignments?
- Are there certain tasks in which they

s describes the church as a human body – lots of different parts all working together for greater success.

As an associate – there’s nothing worse than going to work everyday, dreading the experience. Certainly you’ve had jobs where you just didn’t feel successful and the hours would drag, right?

Think back to that experience. Could it have been a miserable situation because your job involved tasks for which you weren’t comfortable or felt well suited?

I once worked for the phone company in one of their phone stores and I loved it. I enjoyed helping people select their phone equipment and I felt successful. Circumstances in my life required I move to another city and I attempted to transfer to a sister company. I applied for what I thought was a customer service job. However, the day that I interviewed, they were interviewing for customer service representatives and cold call sales associates. The distinction between the two openings wasn’t made clear in the interview and I accepted a position that wasn’t what I’d applied for.

I very quickly learned that cold calling was not for me. I did everything I could to avoid picking up the phone and making those calls. Several painful months went by before my boss called me into his office with the message that I was no longer needed. I was devastated but relieved.

I wasn’t suited for cold calling.

I soon landed a job working for a franchisee of a magazine called Travelhost – the Cincinnati edition. The owner and I attended training together and began the work of building the magazine franchise in our area. My responsibilities involved interviewing, writing, editing and designing print advertising and local interest articles. My boss sent me to the Art Institute of Cincinnati for a layout and design class (in those days it involved paper and a lot of rubber cement as opposed to InDesign or Quark computer programs).

After six months I found a new me – confident, satisfied, feeling like I was a contributing factor to the business.

What a difference to go from abject failure as a cold call sales person to successful managing editor of a magazine.

Was I still the same person? Yes. The difference was how my boss treated me and the responsibilities I managed.

Take the time to truly look at each employee’s performance and ask yourself:

- Do they appear to feel successful?
- Are they leading/teaching their peers?
- Are they eager – appearing for work on time or early – volunteering for additional assignments?
- Are there certain tasks in which they

life required I move to another city and I attempted to transfer to a sister company. I applied for what I thought was a customer service job. However, the day that I interviewed, they were interviewing for customer service representatives and cold call sales associates. The distinction between the two openings wasn’t made clear in the interview and I accepted a position that wasn’t what I’d applied for.

I very quickly learned that cold calling was not for me. I did everything I could to avoid picking up the phone and making those calls. Several painful months went by before my boss called me into his office with the message that I was no longer needed. I was devastated but relieved.

I wasn’t suited for cold calling.

I soon landed a job working for a franchisee of a magazine called Travelhost – the Cincinnati edition. The owner and I attended training together and began the work of building the magazine franchise in our area. My responsibilities involved interviewing, writing, editing and designing print advertising and local interest articles. My boss sent me to the Art Institute of Cincinnati for a layout and design class (in those days it involved paper and a lot of rubber cement as opposed to InDesign or Quark computer programs).

After six months I found a new me – confident, satisfied, feeling like I was a contributing factor to the business.

What a difference to go from abject failure as a cold call sales person to successful managing editor of a magazine.

Was I still the same person? Yes. The difference was how my boss treated me and the responsibilities I managed.

Take the time to truly look at each employee’s performance and ask yourself:

- Do they appear to feel successful?
- Are they leading/teaching their peers?
- Are they eager – appearing for work on time or early – volunteering for additional assignments?
- Are there certain tasks in which they

longer needed. I was devastated but relieved.

I wasn’t suited for cold calling.

I soon landed a job working for a franchisee of a magazine called Travelhost – the Cincinnati edition. The owner and I attended training together and began the work of building the magazine franchise in our area. My responsibilities involved interviewing, writing, editing and designing print advertising and local interest articles. My boss sent me to the Art Institute of Cincinnati for a layout and design class (in those days it involved paper and a lot of rubber cement as opposed to InDesign or Quark computer programs).

After six months I found a new me – confident, satisfied, feeling like I was a contributing factor to the business.

What a difference to go from abject failure as a cold call sales person to successful managing editor of a magazine.

Was I still the same person? Yes. The difference was how my boss treated me and the responsibilities I managed.

Take the time to truly look at each employee’s performance and ask yourself:

- Do they appear to feel successful?
- Are they leading/teaching their peers?
- Are they eager – appearing for work on time or early – volunteering for additional assignments?
- Are there certain tasks in which they

new me – confident, satisfied, feeling like I was a contributing factor to the business.

What a difference to go from abject failure as a cold call sales person to successful managing editor of a magazine.

Was I still the same person? Yes. The difference was how my boss treated me and the responsibilities I managed.

Take the time to truly look at each employee’s performance and ask yourself:

- Do they appear to feel successful?
- Are they leading/teaching their peers?
- Are they eager – appearing for work on time or early – volunteering for additional assignments?
- Are there certain tasks in which they excel?
- Detail oriented
- Customer focused
- Number driven
- Is there a way to reassign duties to those who seem to struggle?

I think back to the classic animated film Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Remember Herbie the Elf’s classic line when his boss asked what’s wrong?

“I’m just not happy in my work I guess,” Herbie answers.

In a more recent film, Ella Enchanted, the evil king has pigeonholed the elves and requires they only hold entertainment positions. Yet the elf Ella befriends wants to be an attorney. His morale is low and his performance appalling because he is unable to perform tasks in which he feels successful.

A leader, right to the heart of the matter with your employees who seem to struggle and ask them, “What would your perfect job look like?”

Think back to the original job interview – what were their hopes and dreams for their professional future?

There will be times – far more than you may like – when an employee isn’t a good fit and no matter how many tasks you assign them, they just don’t perform to the level you require. In that case, they need to look for a new career…with a new company. But at least you’ll know you did your best to understand their true value and give them an opportunity to succeed.