CAMPUS CAMPANILE- Obuogo Steve “Small Actions, Big difference” THE STORY There were two colleagues who for now we’ll call John and Peter. All of them were working in the same office and under the same boss, had the same qualifications and on the same salary level. The nature of the company they were working with was such that bonuses were being awarded based on the nature of client’s accounts one was running. Many times Peter used to complain to the boss over unjustified methods of awarding the client accounts. According to him, John was being favoured since most key client accounts were mostly awarded to John. Their boss Mr. KK was fed up with Peter’s complaints and one day decided to prove his point. During one of their meetings, he said, “Peter and John could you guys find out for me the cost and availability of water melons? I will indeed be very grateful for your assistance. It is not part of your job description but kindly just do it for me”. He did not give them any timelines. One day later, Peter dropped by the office and delivered his report. He was like, “Mr. KK, water melons are all over the markets, they’re averagely kshs 60 but there are those pieces being sold for kshs 10”. That was it. John on the other hand wrote an email to his boss with the following information. “Hello Mr KK, Melons are indeed available, in town they’re a little bit expensive but readily available. One goes for kshs 60 in Gikomba and many other stalls around town but there are even cheaper ones in Kariobangi at 40. The ones in town are not very fresh but they can suffice if you need just a few. Another option would be to source from farmers in Kiambu or Kitui. That would be a better option if you wanted more. It will cost an average of kshs 30 in Kiambu and kshs 25 from Kitui. My advice is, depending on the number you want, it is always safer to source from the farmers or first market of trade to guarantee freshness and quality, I have managed to get the contacts of one of the farmers as well. In case you would like to make any orders, Let me know. Regards”. You tell me, was it any difficult to explain to Peter why he was not always getting major assignments? THE PERSPECTIVE Yes, I admit the fact that some people are generally biased but again many people reduce their chances of success by either being too casual with what they do or just doing averagely enough. Like the saying goes, the devil is in the details, it is very necessary that we assess the details in everything that we do. It was not wrong for Peter to give the report that he gave, but again that is what any other average person would have done. I am sure even Mr. KK knew the bit of information that he gave. You see with the kind of competition that is currently in the job market and everywhere else, to be ahead of others, you need to master the art of doing your best in every little thing you do. There’s a very successful multinational which I know and they operate simply on the concept of, “Small actions, big difference”. This is not coincidental or by chance, they understand the need of excelling in every “small” endevours that they engage in. THE LESSONS As I conclude, I would like to inform us that excellence is not a pajama that you wear only when you need it. Excellence is something which you cultivate in your daily endevours. Always put your best foot forward; In everything that you do, give your all coz you do not know who is watching. Allow me to finish this with a quote, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. I hope this helps you in becoming a better person. Have yourselves a great weekend. CAMPUS CAMPANILE- Obuogo Steve
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 03:00:00 +0000