One of the most important parts of any business is the people who run it. Owners of businesses hire people for specific jobs. Each person does his or her share and holds the whole business up. The manager is usually good at organization and directs people. The maintenance man ensures that the plumbing is not backed up and any other appliances are in order for the customers. While all jobs are important, no two jobs are the same. Consequentially, there is different criteria for every position. While every job requires different strengths, the overarching qualities required are integrity, willingness to learn, and unselfishness.
Everyone has probably heard, “Integrity is doing what’s right even when no one is looking.” This trait is the most important quality a person can have. Let’s imagine for a moment that there is an employee at a grocery store, who loves chewing gum, and buys it daily. One day he is short on cash by a single quarter. He decides to swipe a pack of gum and finds it so easy that he begins to steal them daily. All the time, he tells himself that a pack of gum won’t hurt anything, but over time his petty theft adds up to several hundred dollars. That few hundred dollars won’t sink the business but imagine the same scenario and replace it with something more valuable. Maybe the person stops working while the boss is gone, and the floors are never fully mopped. One day a shopper notices the state of the floor and decides that she does not want food from such a dirty store. Integrity impacts the whole business.
Another quality that affects a business is willingness to learn. The employee that can accomplish anything is the employee who is willing to learn. His boss can say, “We are short on people who can work the deli, and your job can be put on hold until we hire someone, in a few days. I need you to get your food handlers license so that you can run things for a bit.” The employee readily gets his food handlers and helps in the deli. He goes out of his way to help the customers and make them feel important. Doing such a good job that customers give him a good report to his manager, he stays in the deli full time, and another person takes over his old job. Customers come back to the store, because they like talking to him while he cuts their meet. He has just learned a new skill that helped himself, the store, and the customers.
Remember how everyone liked the employee in the last example? He was nice, likable, and made them feel important. Customers like to feel listened to. They like to know that the employees care about them as individuals. Because of these factors, an employee that has a servant’s heart can exponentially grow a business. The best advertiser is word of mouth. Personally, I like to take my money to places recommended by friends. Yet another benefit of hiring a person with a servant’s heart is that they will want to do their job well to serve others. When people feel respected and served, they want to do their best as well. A person who has a servant’s heart will be a leader that attracts people to follow and come back.
Successful businesses hire successful people. A person who has the three qualities is successful. Integrity ensures that the employee is not steeling and is making the most of his time. Willingness to learn gives the employer and employee options. A servant’s heart blesses the people around it and leads others to do their best. No matter what a person’s job is, they can positively or negatively affect the business, so it is imperative to choose honorable, teachable, and kind people.
Brainchild Galore 