Being Helpful is Being Successful: A Perspective on Work Ethic
For a while now, I’ve been contemplating how to distinguish a great person to work with from a merely good one. The book “Good to Great” addresses the transformation of companies, but I’m yet to find a version that applies this concept to individuals. If you find it, please let me know.
One of the vital qualities of people I enjoy working with is their ability to ask clarifying questions, enabling them to grasp the minute details that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Lucy and Jake’s Story
Imagine Lucy, the CEO of a small tech startup in Atlanta, GA. She has a business meeting scheduled in Paris in two weeks. With little time to plan, she needs to simply get there, meet her partners, and then fly back home. Fortunately, she hired an assistant, Jake, a few weeks ago. Seeing this as the perfect task to delegate to Jake, Lucy hands it over, confident that there’s plenty of time to rectify things if they go awry.
Lucy messages Jake on WhatsApp, “Hey Jake, I have a meeting in Paris in two weeks. Check my calendar for the exact time and location, and please arrange the trip for me ASAP.” She then dives back into her day-to-day CEO duties, handling a multitude of tasks.
By the next morning, she expects Jake to inform her that he has booked the tickets, hotel, and arranged all the transfers, at the very least. Indeed, that’s precisely what Jake does, and Lucy promptly forgets about it until her departure day.
In a flash, two weeks pass. It’s a Thursday in mid-August; her flight is at 2 pm, and she expects her driver to arrive at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport by 11 am. Lucy, who experiences travel anxiety, prefers to arrive at the airport a few hours in advance. As she waits in her living room with her suitcase packed, neither Jake nor the driver contacts her, prompting the realization that something isn’t right.
When Lucy calls Jake, she’s shocked to find out that the driver will be at her house in two hours, which means she will reach the airport just one hour before her flight. The anxiety she had mitigated through morning meditation instantly returns.
Moreover, this is just the start of her concerns. Unaware of what other assumptions Jake might have made, she frets over the possibility of a connecting flight or an unsatisfactory hotel booking. The prospect of a red-eye flight back home is particularly distressing, considering she has an important meeting with investors in Atlanta the next day and needs a good night’s rest.
Why Didn’t You Tell Me?
“Why didn’t you tell me? I didn’t know you wanted it this way, it’s not my fault!” is probably Jake’s defense when Lucy starts complaining about the execution of her trip.
While he has a point — she should have provided some specific details about her preferences — his lack of initiative leaves everyone frustrated.
Lucy is discontented because her trip is on track to becoming a disaster. If similar situations occur repeatedly, she might consider replacing Jake or relying on someone else for her travel arrangements.
Despite his defensive stance, Jake too is left feeling inadequate. He may blame Lucy for being a demanding boss, criticizing him over details he wasn’t privy to, but he might also blame himself for not meeting her expectations.
We’re All in the Service Industry
Here’s the thing — we’re all in the service industry. Regardless of whether you’re a president, a CEO, an assistant, a driver, a waiter, or any role in between, we’re all individuals interacting with others, living our own lives, and facing our own challenges. In one way or another, we turn to each other for help.
A successful company needs a CEO with a clear vision and disciplined leadership to ensure its survival, providing its employees with financial security. Simultaneously, the CEO needs support from employees like drivers to manage tasks that they don’t have time for amidst their demanding schedules. We all help each other.
Be Extraordinary by Being Helpful and Inquisitive
Jake could have taken a different approach — one that involved being more attentive and empathetic.
If he had considered the task from this perspective, he might have realized that Lucy’s request was essentially a plea for help. He could have offered more assistance, which would have proven extremely beneficial.
In the scenario above, Lucy is overwhelmed with her day-to-day responsibilities. She requires someone to manage one specific task, allowing her to focus on the myriad other issues at hand.
A stellar assistant would be proactive. They might inquire about Lucy’s travel preferences, perhaps consulting her previous assistant if she had one, or discuss the matter with their peers.
The best course of action for Jake, however, would be to spend some time thoroughly considering the trip. He could contemplate the key aspects of the journey — transfers, airport wait times, accommodation — and even take into account that Lucy will likely need meals in Paris and has half a day of free time. After making some educated assumptions, he could present an itinerary to Lucy for her approval or comments, allowing him to make the necessary adjustments.
Be Helpful Regardless of Your Role
If you’ve ever managed people, this problem may sound familiar.
If it doesn’t and you feel that Lucy is to blame, I hope this changes your perspective. Simply blaming others for their shortcomings won’t help you excel.
Such situations recur in teams. Hence the adage, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” However, accomplishing everything single-handedly isn’t feasible, let alone realistic. We must rely on each other to achieve complex objectives.
It doesn’t matter if you’re an assistant, a developer, or a CEO (yes, CEOs have tasks too). If you aren’t helpful, people will find it difficult to work with you.
