I was at a large call center this week working on their phone system and the place was abuzz with the fact that the CEO is coming to town. Everyone is cleaning their areas. Things that haven’t been tidied in years or since the last time the CEO came are being tidied. Why all this cleaning now? I know it is for the CEO, but what is the base motivator. For some it may be ambition, but for most I think it is fear. And for a few whose faces I have looked into today I have no doubt that it is fear.
If the CEO sees something he doesn’t like someone is going to pay a price, so everyone works hard to get everything just right. I guess this happens because we are procrastinators and these things always slide down the list. But does it show respect to their leader to do this frenzy of preparation? I think it is a kind of disrespect to the CEO not to give an accurate presentation of their site. If he really had their respect wouldn’t they do these things when he’s not looking too? They are simply showing him what they think he thinks they should be. Not what they really are.
A smart CEO would come a week early and see the reality. Then he could see their blemishes and manage the reality rather than have a false picture of how tidy and put together they are. We all do it though, disrespect the CEO like that. Or maybe more often we disrespect one another like that. Be true to you. If someone doesn’t see your true face they can’t really love the real you, they can’t really encourage you the way you need it. They won’t really know when you need an extra bit of care or correction (if it is their place to correct). We need to have people (mentors, trusted friends) in our lives that really see us. That doesn’t mean you should not try to improve, it means don’t front.
A front is for this moment, an improvement is from this moment forward. So by all means improve yourself, but don’t put on airs, don’t live by fear of what others will think, trying to be what you think they think you should be. There is only One who is qualified to measure and He sees all of your junk anyway. So be who you are and aspire to emulate who He is and the life and values He embodied for our benefit.
Doug Jones
Doug is a leader at Gracepoint in Granite City. If you’ve got any questions on budgeting or finance he can and will help.
