On December 11th, I had a Grounded keynote address in Birmingham for PaymentsFirst, a non-profit payments association. My talk was not until 1:15, so I was chillin’ in the vendor area and I noticed a shoeshine station. It turns out PaymentsFirst had sponsored free shoe shines. I decided I would love a shoe shine and walked over to the stand, where I met and chatted with Ronald. He not only did a totally professional job shining my shoes, but also was an extremely engaging professional. We talked about business and when I asked Ronald how he liked the option of a corporate booking, he lit up. He loves them and takes engagements all over the southeast, going to Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina on behalf of organizations just like PaymentsFirst.
Ronald is an entrepreneur and we discussed hiring employees. Ronald says he has had employees in the past, but after numerous problems, he decided his business would be a one-man show. “I can control myself and my actions and not anybody else,” Ronald told me.
We lamented the problems in finding employees who had a good work ethic, who would show up on time, and have attitude of service. While Ronald is certainly a Grounded individual, it sounds like those he has hired in the past were not.
At the end of the day, no one “owes you” a job. You have to work hard, have a good attitude, and dress and act appropriately for the position you have. Failure to do that leaves you virtually unemployable.