LISTEN on: Apple Podcasts or Podbean or YouTube
We all want to know what we should be working on. What to do next. And learning how to map out your “next best action” is a practice that is good for your mental state and also your productivity. If you know where you want to go, you can begin following the map to get there. That’s a philosophy that’s served me well.
Ask yourself, “Is this action moving me toward my goal or away from my goal?” Then, when possible, take the action that supports the future state you hope for. Planning, mapping, prioritizing, and taking the next best action are great rungs of the ladder of success.
Inexperienced or young managers have a similar problem. Even more exaggerated when the boss is roaming the floor. “Everybody look busy,” is the message that crackles through the air like static electricity. You can feel the tension. Sure, the boss is a nice person, but they want to see everyone doing their part. Here’s where a middle manager is caught between their leadership and their desire to look busy.
A young manager, the former Army guy, was prone to barking orders that didn’t need to be said, or giving me an assignment I was already doing. He was trying to look like he knew what to do himself and was telling me what I should be doing. The problem is, he didn’t know what he should be doing, or *really* what I should be doing. I get it. This job is hard. There is no time out. It’s just grind your eight hour shift away and go home. This guy has already moved on. It wasn’t the job for him.
The part about this manager vs. team member routine is when the person doesn’t contribute to the overall goal, to helping the customers have an efficient and pleastant experience buying their organic groceries and holistic goodies. That’s my job. I am here to be efficient in checking you out, and if we share a short happy conversation that’s great. It’s also okay to be quiet.
The middle manager who doesn’t understand this mission will hesitate to jumping in and “bagging” for example. Instead, they will stand back and “supervise.” They want to keep the lines clear. They are a supervisor not a bagger. The real manager will jump in and bag anytime the lines are beginning to build up.
I do my best not to give advice, not to blast my own complaints around, and not to take my job to seriously. I mean, I work at a grocery store. Good honest work. Not rocket science. When “leadership” does not do their job, however, I do get frustrated. I am compelled to increase the urgency of my job replacement search. But these are strange times. And today, my healthcare from my employer is worth more than the hourly wage they are paying me.
I won’t be here forever, I tell myself. This is a temporary blip in my professional career. And, if I could get that interview to take place, I might be a supervisor too.
[Listen to the Deep Dive explore the concepts of The Happy Cashier.]
The hope I see in others
becomes the hope I have for myself,
my life, and my own journey.
– The Happy Cashier
the happy cashier index < previous post | next post >
ALT: Botisatva’s Bookshelf | The Happy Cashier Podcast
Please check out my latest book on mindfulness and daily practices.
