Doing a job is relatively easy compared to planning what to do and how to do it. But work is not the same as work well done. How do you get a job done well? Even if you can’t achieve it, excellence should be your guiding criterion. Not sloppiness. By trying to do an excellent job, you will create an ease in doing it. To achieve a job well done you can use these principles:
– Do your tasks to the best of your ability the first time. There is never time to do them perfectly, but there is time to repeat them. Be aware of what Aristotle synthesised in the form of a sentence: “By dint of building well, one becomes a good architect”.
– If something goes wrong, don’t blame others. Ask yourself: where did I go wrong? Regretting your failures will not solve them. Instead, use your failures to grow in practical wisdom and skill. Turn your mistakes into learning opportunities.
– Don’t assume that others know how to do their job. We often expect our staff to guess what we think and carry it out exactly. It needs to be explained to them. There is a saying: “No one can untie a knot without knowing how to do it”.
– Keep an open mind. The mind is like a parachute, it only works when you open and deploy it. Listening will bring you many benefits, new ideas, different approaches, creativity, empathy, etc. And above all, find a good reason to work. When there is a good why, the how doesn’t matter.
– Be humble to recognise your mistakes as soon as possible. Apologising when you make a mistake will give you stature and credibility. It is better to contradict yourself than to petrify yourself. Practice resilience in the face of adversity. Piet Hein put it so clearly in his poem “The Road to Wisdom”:
To err and
err and
err again
but less and less
less and
less and
less and less.
– Avoid rushing and routine, because they make you dull. Stopping to reflect from time to time will help you to redirect your efforts in the right direction to obtain the best results. Thinking well is smart, and thinking well is wise.
Juan Carlos cmf
(PHOTO: Quino Al)
