Only
January 4th, 2007
I called a local sports shop yesterday to check on a piece of inventory that I was considering buying. It’s kinda a weird setup, because, while it’s an international company with product lines in various specialty stores around the globe, the HQ here in town is also a retail store. (Yeah, I know that was a lot of setup, but it needed to be laid out.)
So I called. A pleasant woman answered the phone and I inquired about the article of clothing. She said that she thought they had it, but she wasn’t sure what sizes they had in stock because “I’m only the accountant.”
Now I’m not gonna go on a riff about her not knowing about every piece of inventory they have – that’s not my point. My point is the use of the word “only.” She said it as if she was a lesser part of the company. Like she was stuck in the back with the numbers and tax forms. Like she didn’t matter.
But she matters. A lot, in fact.
There is no such thing as an “only” position in any company if it wants to Fascinate, Inspire, Reward and Engage. Every single person matters. In a big way. And if everyone in that company is empowered and feels appreciated, then you’re one step closer to being remarkable.
I’ve written it here before, but I’m reminded of the journalist who asked a janitor at NASA what he did there. His answer?
“I’m putting men on the moon.”
Other posts by Spike.
Patrick says:
My wife and I have kind of a rule where we refuse to call our business a “home” business. To me that can turn into an “only” to a lot of people but if we said we had a “home” business it would severely limit our mindset of future growth. I know way too many people who “settle” for having a “home” business. To us this is just a temporary situation until the need a bigger space presents itself. Besides I’m sitting at Port City Java on Main Street in Greenville right now working on my laptop. I’m not at home.
Yes, “only” is not in my dictionary. I’ve been in jobs were I was an “only” and in other jobs were that word was pretty much forbidden. “Only” is THE glass ceiling.
January 4th, 2007 at 11:04 amRob Stevens says:
Great post, Spike. It’s easy to write off something like that as an employee without drive, but when it comes right down to it, the “only” mentality is only something that a company can eradicate through careful internal messaging, building a culture of expecting more from people, and instilling the motivation and desire to step out of their box.
What’s interesting is how this can cause employees that leave to go to other companies where this isn’t done and leave them wondering what’s wrong. I have an expectation now that I’ll always be going beyond my job description, and that I’ll be contributing in more ways than just what my title might suggest. As a result, I probably won’t “fit in” any longer in companies that don’t empower their employees in such a manner.
January 4th, 2007 at 11:16 amSpike says:
Patrick - that’s what I’m talking about! Language is such a huge part of an identity.
Rob - Right on, brother. Companies and leadership need to be very careful with that internal messaging and not only helping their people to feel appreciated. B/c “appreciate” has two definitions: one is to feel valued, but the other is to grow in value.
January 4th, 2007 at 11:37 amkamran says:
spike-
January 11th, 2007 at 4:28 pmit is bigger than just business- it is life itself and how we define (or mis-define) ourselves.
I had a very similar thing happen not long ago, but the other extreme. I called a client at home, who usually who works alone from their home office, and the woman who answered the phone described herself as ‘only the maid’.
I tried to talk her off the roof of the whole ‘only the maid’ thing, but think I probably did her more harm than good.
we are so much more than our superficial titles of accountants, maids, telephone sanitizers, or management consultants.
we are parents and children. mentors and students. we overlook our important titles far more than we recognize them.
I hope my daughter never sees herself as ‘only the maid’, even if she is the maid.
akp