Do I Have to Take Out the Office Trash?

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I was born in 1966 and when I was old enough to work my father bestowed upon me the best piece of advice ever, a little nugget I have continued to contemplate over the years. He related a story wherein, as an elementary student in Bremerhaven, Germany in the early 1940's, there was a day on which parents were to come in and share the details of their job with the children. Being 8 years old, and not yet tinged by societal bias based on socioeconomic backgrounds, my dad was nothing but proud of his hero, and could hardly sit still as he waited with excitement for his father to walk into the classroom. But my grandfather never showed up.
That night he explained that he was embarrassed of his position as a janitor (as an adult, he had lost his shield of childhood naivete and was not immune to the negative effects of how people viewed him based on his occupation).
Although the experience in and of itself took up permanent occupancy in my dad's memory as being unpleasant and disappointing, he took away an invaluable self-taught lesson - and that is what he shared with me. "It does not matter WHAT you do for a living, what matters is that YOU ARE THE BEST PERSON PERFORMING IT."
Sit on that for awhile. Chew it up, process it, swallow it so that it remains with you, because if you apply it you will go far in this life. Remove the phrase "that is not in my job description" from your vocabulary. You never know, while taking out the trash you could just bump into someone who is going to change your life.

Monique Swanson of MN 11:56AM May 01, 2011

There's not a lot of traffic on the extra mile. If you are just starting your career (or looking to bust out of the same old, same old), think about this. Go the extra mile. You won't have much competition. If most people leave the office at 5:01, stay until 5:30 and get those extras done that every boss (at least every good boss) appreciates. In no time at all, your career will be moving. People can make this way more complicated that it needs to be. First - do your job well. Second - do the extras. Result - success.

Scott Jagodzinski of MN 4:55PM May 09, 2008

Just what the hell does the evening janitorial crew do here anyway?

RJ of NH 4:17PM May 09, 2008

Do you think you can find just the right job for me?

Jolene of IA 11:26PM May 08, 2008

and where does he get the ideas for his posts?

Jolene from Iowa of IA 11:23PM May 08, 2008

This is an excellent piece of advice that too few people appreciate or practice in today's workplace. It applies for every employee in any company or organization, regardless of size. Be the person that just does the things that need to get done. Don't complain, don't look for accolades, and don't keep score. Not only will you make your company a better place to work and more successful in the long-run, you'll also make the people around you take notice of what you do. It's simple, but it can have an incredibly profound impact on a company and the people within it.
Excellent, practical advice. I look forward to reading more of these columns.

Toby of MN 5:55PM May 06, 2008

Obviously, if the trash needs to be carried out, especially if it is yours, one just does it, good culture or bad. The 'learning' here for young people, perhaps, is that you will hear problems and issues that confront your business each day. It is eye opening to realize how few of these problems are actually being worked on. If you can continue to do your own job...and work on some of these un-assigned problems as well...with or without 'permission'...well, I would hire you.

GL HOFFMAN of MN 3:57PM May 06, 2008

Some things need to be done. Some don't. It's up to the individual. It seems to me the employee's willingness to go above and beyond the job description is directly related to their satisfaction or happiness working at that job. The more satisfied they are, the more apt they are to help out. So it may be an indication of one's company atmosphere and employee satisfaction if a request to empty the trash is met with a stony silence.

Fatesrider of CA 3:46PM May 06, 2008

Some things need to be done. Some don't. It's up to the individual. It seems to me the employee's willingness to go above and beyond the job description is directly related to their satisfaction or happiness working at that job. The more satisfied they are, the more apt they are to help out. So it may be an indication of one's company atmosphere and employee satisfaction if a request to empty the trash is met with a stony silence.

Fatesrider of CA 3:39PM May 06, 2008

You have a real gem of wisdom here. It's true with a job and it's true with society in general. It's a quick cure for hubris. It's a sure path to bonding and leadership.

Conrad of CA 2:27PM May 06, 2008