12 Stand up for what’s right. It’s not who’s right that counts, it’s what’s the right thing to do. This is true for all of life’s situations.
13 Be respectful. Being respectful to everyone demonstrates your strength of character.
14 Be fair and balanced. Be fair to all and consider how decisions will impact everyone.
15 Be open-minded. Prejudice and judgements based on your religion or cultural values will cause conflict and eliminate trust.
16 Listen. The fastest way to create resentment and resistance is to be a preoccupied bad listener.
17 Don’t gossip. Remember the person who is gossiping with you, is gossiping about you.
18 Be hardworking. Everyone respects, trusts, and even admires a hardworking person who dedicates their best efforts to the job.
19 Be cooperative. Positive, cooperative people are trusted more easily.
20 Communicate consistently, avoid closed doors, and secretive agendas. Be candid and open with everyone.
SUCCESS HABIT TWO: RIGHT MENTAL ATTITUDE
Rupert and the Power of Authentic Choices
Today is Rupert’s first day at work. He had slept heavily, a fitful night, tossing and turning–a night of racing thoughts and anxious images.
For as long as he can remember, his father told him: “Son, you should get a secure job with a large company that will provide you with retirement benefits and health insurance.” He could still hear those words playing in his head the day he went for the interview at the bank; and when they off ered him the job, he felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that his father would be proud of him. The next day, he felt conflicted and a sadness came over him at the thought of being cooped up in a cubicle all day long, dealing with numbers.
In his heart, Rupert was a nonconformist and knew that this job would require a large degree of compromise on his part. He really wanted to be a graphic artist. He loved that kind of thing–working on advertising design and animation.
When the alarm went off, he had to force himself to get out of bed. Walking across the room to the window, he drew back the drapes. It was a cloudy day and it was as if it was connected to his grey body-on-droop-mood. He could almost feel the heaviness of the clouds entering his body and weighing him down.
“I hate cloudy weather. I’m going to have a lousy day!” he thought. “I wonder if I’ll be acceptable. I’ll just be quiet, the same as I was at school. That always works. If you’re quiet, nobody sees you.”
As he fastened his belt, thoughts of school run through his mind: Flashes of his first day, elementary school, high school. “That first day was pure hell. I can still feel the pain. Everybody in a row, all standing, looking just like each other, most of all those phony teachers,” he recalled. He put those thoughts out of his mind and made his way to the bank. He didn’t want to be late. He arrived with a few minutes to spare and went directly to his new boss’ office. She was standing in her doorway waiting for him.
“Rupert, this will be your desk; and, by the way, here at our bank, we prefer that it be kept tidy, just as you should be. Did you read the dress code regulations?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t call me sir! My name is Ms. Ashworth.”
“Yes, Ms. Ashworth.”
“That’s better. Now relax, Rupert. Later, you will be taken to the training school, where you will learn about the basics of our banking policies and procedures. Let me make myself clear, Rupert. If you work hard, do what you’re told, be on time for work everyday, the bank is an excellent place for you to build a steady, long-term career.”
“Yes, sir, I mean, Ms. Ashworth.”
Rupert felt extremely uncomfortable. The environment seemed overly formal. There was very little, if any, personal interaction. He tried to make eye contact with a few people that passed his cubicle. It seemed as if everyone was hurrying around with their shoulders hunched, heads down, with expressionless eyes that looked right through you. He just sat there and waited and wondered if this was the right decision for him. Eventually, someone said, “Rupert, follow me . . .”
The day dragged on and although the information he received in training class was interesting, the monotony of the trainer’s voice exhausted him. He couldn’t wait to get home.
He had no sooner arrived home, when his dad asked him: “Well, how was your day, Son?”
“Dad, I don’t know if this is what I want . . .”
“Now, Rupert, when I was your age, I would have been thankful for an opportunity like this. You kids of today don’t appreciate anything. It was different for me when I was your age. I would have to walk to work every day, ten miles there, ten miles back, uphill both ways.”
“Yes, Dad, but I didn’t do anything today; I just sat there listening to a boring guy read from a Power Point. It’s as if we are just robots and they were downloading data. We were not really acknowledged as people.”
“They know you are there. Everybody has their own job to do; the world doesn’t revolve around you.”
Rupert was an extremely aware young man and he knew that he didn’t fit in. He was aware that he was surrendering what he would really like to do for this so-called secure job, mostly to please his dad. That night Rupert slept heavily, exhausted from the emotional drain of his first day.
The next morning, he had no sooner arrived at work, when he heard Ms. Ashworth bellow out his name.
“Ruuu-pert . . .”
“Yes, Ms. Ashworth?”
“Were you on time for work today?”
“Yes, Ms. Ashworth.”
“You’ll be in training again today. They’re expecting you.”
“Yes, Ms. Ashworth.”
Ms. Ashworth had a reputation for being a tough boss who got the job done. “I motivate by fear,” was her motto. Most people, including the bank president, avoided Ms. Ashworth. When they needed to communicate with her, it would normally be by email.
Rupert promised himself that he would never be the kind of manager, she was. “When I’m a manager one day,” he thought, “I will create an environment where people will love their jobs and want to come to work and not feel as fearful as I do.’‘
Rupert sat next to an odd-looking young man with small round, thick glasses and a plastic pen pouch sticking out of his shirt pocket. “Wow, what a nerd!” Rupert thought. But he greeted him nonetheless, and they immediately struck up a friendship. After training school that day, Rupert