In this candid photo (boldly taken without asking 😉), we see boss Chad. Yes, people today prefer “leader” but “boss” still works for me.
As I taught Personal Accountability and the QBQ! at Chad’s Michigan manufacturing plants, I got to know him. Let’s meet Chad …
Chad is a fortysomething.
Chad is a husband and dad.
Chad makes a decent income.
Chad is loyal to his employer.
Chad has worked here 20 years.
Chad continually gains new skills.
Chad enjoys how he makes a living.
Chad began as an hourly employee.
Chad believes in QBQ! Accountability.
Chad earned his way to General Manager.
Chad has made—and makes—a difference.
Chad speaks reverently of his firm’s owners.
Another Chad fact:
Chad skipped college to enter the workforce.
No, I’m not telling people they should or should not attend college. Yet, I happily challenge young people—and parents/employers—to reconsider the “college experience.”
In Outstanding! we wrote this recommendation to organizations: Hire character over credentials.
Sure, a degree can be critical, but we should also be people of character and hire people of character like, you guessed it, Chad. 😎
Are you growing your personal character … and hiring/promoting it, too?
8 Responses
I love this posting! I work for a company that won’t consider me for a promotion because I don’t have a college or University degree. I have worked there for 12 years and take courses that are offered to learn and help myself be better at my job. I have been told by several of my colleagues that handle myself like a manager, but I can’t be considered for the position. We lose many great employees because there is no room for growth. Instead, our current Managers and HR folks hire external employees when they have smart, hardworking and capable people with lots of experience in this field right here, with great proven work ethics. At my place of employment we train folks in the field of Justice & Public Safety and we use the QBQ & Outstanding books in some of that training. Shame on them not to practice what they preach! Keep up the good work and spread the word!
So sorry, Dorothy. That is frustrating and disheartening. Thank you for sharing!
I worked for Enterprise for 30 years and they only hired college graduates for the management program. I am a college graduate. But now that I see how some of these universities are run, where they lean, and what some of the professors preach….I no longer pull the value of a college degree at the level that I used to.
Agreed. 100%
I grew up in the 1950s. In the late 50s and early 60s, it was expected of students to attend college and I followed along with what everyone thought I should, I went to college and majored in Marketing and Advertising. I attended school for 2 years and completely wasted my parents money. My two years in college was a complete bust. None of the courses drew my interest and my grades showed it. NONE of the courses were about Marketing and Advertising and I totally lost interest. I sat out a semester and that is when I was drafted into the Army. My mother managed to get me a deferment for 60 days so I could finish the summer semester I had started. That gave me the opportunity to talk to military recruiters. I came upon the U. S. Coast Guard and believe it or not, there was a ten year waiting list. I explained to the recuiter what my problem was and he called the next guy on the list. He could not leave for boot camp because he had broken his arm. He asked me If I could go and I said yes and that is how I got into the Coast Guard. This is a long response to get to my point which is that I wish I had gone into the military right out of high school. It provided me with discipline and focus that I did not have as an 18 year old going off to college. I decided to make the Coast Guard my career and it turned out better than anyone could have expected. I feel that lack of personal discipline is a huge problem for high schoolers even today, maybe more so today. The military gave me what I never learned in high school or college; being part of a team and YOU matter because if you don’t do your job as well as you can and as well as expected of you, someone could get seriously hurt or even killed. You learned what is meant to be part of a team that was operating a high proficiency rate. The military also gave me a sense of pride wearing the uniform of my country and knowing that when people saw me in uniform they saw their country or at least that is what I believed at the time. At the height of Vietnam, I learned very quickly that Americans had a total disregard for people in uniform. In face I was called a “baby killer” while in New York City. It was not a pleasant experience. Still I would not trade my 20 years in the Coast Guard for anything!
Thanks for sharing, Mr. Jim!
I was an unmarried mother in the early 1960s, so no college for me. I worked in restaurants, then as a file clerk, and was able to transfer into what was called Data Processing and worked in that field for several years. At age 34 a woman at a community college showed me how I could get financial aid. I spent 4 quarters at the community college and then transferred to a university. My loans were substantially less than now with work study, grants and scholarships. Later, I earned a master’s degree at age 55.
I know I probably sound like I’m boasting, but my point is that our work journeys can take many paths. Because of changes in the economy I had to change careers a couple of times.My advice is accept that not all changes are going to be of our choosing. You just have to keep trying.
Annetta, your perseverance and work ethic are impressive!