100 Worst Employees by Jim Stovall
This week, I’m enjoying the most recent installment in one of the greatest ongoing privileges of my life as my latest book is released. Well over forty times, I have worked diligently to gather my thoughts, get them down on paper, and wish them well as they find their way around the world to my readers.
As in any worthwhile venture, I have a lot of people to thank. Dave Wildasin and his team at Sound Wisdom publishing continue to be willing to put their reputation behind my words. With this particular title, I had the honor to work with my longtime friend and colleague, Kristine Sexter. I met Kristine, and came to know and appreciate her, when she was the president of our state chapter of the National Speakers Association. I thought I had seen her at her best in her presidential role, but I was surprised to learn that she was even more valuable as a co-author.
100 Worst Employees: Learning from the Very Worst How to Be Your Very Best is a follow-up to a book I had out several years ago entitled, 100 Worst Bosses. In addition to being hilarious, sad, and poignant, the true stories in 100 Worst Employees are extremely instructive.
You and I might disagree on what makes a great movie, wonderful meal, or a memorable song, but we can virtually all agree when we experience a bad one. The first step in being the best at anything, is to avoid being the worst. Subtle qualities of world class performers are often hard to pick out, but when you observe someone who is the worst at something, their traits scream at you and refuse to be ignored.
I can hear people all around the world reading this column and saying, “Jim, I don’t have a very good job, and I don’t plan on staying here any longer than I have to, so why should I worry about my performance?”
For better or for worse, the way we do anything is the way we do everything. If you show me someone who does a poor job mowing the grass, washing the car, or folding the clothes, they will likely do a poor job at everything they touch.
The road to having a great job, or even owning your own business, begins with doing the job you currently have with pride and excellence. Endeavor to be the kind of employee that you want to manage or have working in your company someday.
As you go through your day today, start being the best by learning from the worst.
Today’s the day!
Jim Stovall is the president of Narrative Television Network, a columnist, a motivational speaker, as well as a published author of many books, including The Ultimate Gift. His most recent book, co-authored with Kristine Sexter, is 100 Worst Employees: Learning from the Very Worst How to Be Your Very Best, which is available on October 15, 2019, from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Porchlight Books, and other fine retailers.