“Either you are someone committed to making a difference in your workplace or you aren’t. It’s almost binary. Are you a“1” or a “0”?“
Our Binary Workforce
By Phil Perkins, President and CEO, ACUMEN Corporation
Are you a“1” or a “0”? You know I have come to the conclusion that there are two types of people in the workforce. It doesn’t matter whether they are millennials, Gen-X or baby boomers. This rule seems to hold true across all age and ethnic groups and even across all levels of education. It’s simple really.
Now I know some folks would argue with me on that theory. You might think that some people are motivated to perform at an acceptable level so that their income isn’t taken away. I mean if your job is collecting overdue accounts receivable, let’s say, and you manage to make the calls and send the letters on a daily basis you will likely keep your job. Mission accomplished.
On the other hand, if you spend a bit of time determining why your customers are behind in payments to begin with you might be in a position to offer solutions before late payment is even a problem. And that in itself might be making a real difference on behalf of your company. After all, cash is king. So if you are a collections professional you can decide to be a 1 or a 0. Get by or get better.
And of course I owe you one of my sports analogies. There are many, many players who train hard, know their position and perform at a high level every game. And then there are those players who arrive early to review film on the team they are about to face on Sunday so that they can adjust their play to address the unique strengths and weaknesses of the next opponent. Now that’s bound to make a difference. Get by or get better.
I encourage you to challenge me on this line of thinking. I would love to think that we are not simply binary in our approach. But if we are, let’s all lean towards being a ”1”.
