He has struck again. His impact seems inconsequential to some, while others allow a self-righteous anger to stir up as they mumble under their breath. For me, it’s a sign for bigger problems to come.
There you are – in the bathroom, you have taken care of business, even chose to wash your hands when you go for the paper towels, and to your astonishment and your surprise, no towels. Someone had the audacity to use the last one and not replace it. The Paper Towel Bandit has left their mark – the empty brown paper towel roll.
Maybe this person was thinking of something else, and they were not even aware they used the last sheet. Or what about after leaving the restroom they had intentions to get a few more rolls from the back room when they were interrupted and completely forgot to refill.
For a minute let’s imagine that someone on our team in a moment of weakness, thought, “It’s not my job to replace the paper towels, the next person, or whoever refills these can take care of it.”
Only one of these reasons cause me concern. It may seem like a big deal over nothing, but I think this ‘small deal’ is a sign of ‘big deals.’
Having discipline on minor tasks in our life is important. When we allow ourselves to do things for what is easier at the moment than the right choice, it ruins our discipline for the bigger things.
Beyond replacing paper towels when we run out at the shop, let’s also look for ways or what exceptions we might be making in our lives. Where might we be holding back from doing the right thing in each situation? The best thing is, we already know what is the right thing to do; It’s in all of us.
We see this “look out for me’’ attitude on job-sites from other companies, and we know all too well how this leads to a less efficient job-site. Everyone is so focused on their role they forget the purpose is to create a building for the client – together; no one is doing it alone.
The small things are big things; it all starts with little things. It’s always easier to find and fix these things when they are minor habits than to let them build.
I think we can bring forth our best in the world when we set the next person up, think about others in addition to ourselves, and look for small ways to serve. Sometimes it’s just replacing the paper towels when you don’t feel like it.
Heard. Watched. Read.
- “Ultimately no company can grow of change at a rate faster than its people. This is the guiding principle for any successful approach to learning and development. It is not about training for the sake of training. It is about growing people to ensure that you can compete and win.” – Didier Elzinga, CEO – Culture Amp
- “But if you want to be the very best of the best, it’s the details that make the difference.” Tim S. Grover, Relentless
- “He focuses on developing character because he believes that better people make better athletes.” – Katrin Davidsdottir (Cross Fit athlete), in speaking of her coach Ben Bergeron