Sometimes I just need to rant to my friends. I consider all of you my friends so pull up a chair. Today’s rant is about what I call the What Next People. They are the bane of my existence. They top my short pet peeve list. What next People waste so much of my time at work. They resist any attempt on my part to put an end to that behavior. So what is a what next person you ask. Oh you know them. They are everywhere. You might be one yourself. If you are read this and answer what is next.
What Next
So what is a What Next Person? Let me tell you a story about work. I could pick any of hundreds. I asked a lady at work to fill up some things. Easy right. That endcap is empty, fill it. Personally I like vague directions. I’ll do it my own damn way. Minutes later I’m called back by her. She tell’s me that we don’t have the ones it’s missing. She can’t fill it up. What Next. I tell her to put something else there. Was that not the obvious solution. Did she think I would change my mind and let it stay empty? No I gave you a mission now finish it. Geez.
What Next People will never make a decision. To them they either do it exactly right or they do nothing. Usually the second. Like they are looking for an excuse for not do it. I’ve tried and tried to teach them to think. It must scare them. I scream take initiative and figure it out. I have always lived with the It’s better to ask forgiveness than permission philosophy. I prefer doing over about anything. Planing is not a strong point of mine. What Next is what I ask myself.
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“In the words of the ancients, one should make his decisions within the space of seven breaths. Lord Takandobu said, “If discrimination is long, it will spoil.” Lord Naoshige said, “When matters are done leisurely, seven out of ten will turn out badly. A warrior is a person who does things quickly.When your mind is going hither and thither, discrimination will never be brought to a conclusion. With an intense, fresh and undelaying spirit, one will make his judgments within the space of seven breaths. It is a matter of being determined and having the spirit to break right through to the other side.”
I read that quote years ago in the Hagakure. The book of the samurai has many good lessons in it. When I think about What next people this comes to mind. I often think this when I have a decision to make. Make a quick decision and move on with life. The What next people will die when TSHTF. Don’t live your life looking for a leader. Be a leader.
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I know what kind of people you’re talking about. However there are a lot of bosses the contribute to this problem.
And your first example if someone had taken the initiative to fill it up with something other than what was supposed to go there the boss might not of like it you have to know your boss. I have had bosses that would throw a screaming fit if you had taken the initiative to restock that was something other than what goes there.
I’ve had those bosses too and generally nothing makes them happy. So I just do it my way and the hell with them.
While I agree with your “irritation”, James. I’m a manager at a large chain retail store. If my employee took the initiative to stock something, inappropriately, I would be forced to have them take it down. Why? Because corporate has VERY strict guidelines as to what goes where. There are procedures that must be followed and it would only take a quick visit from the District or Regional Managers to make everyone’s day miserable.
This, I believe is a combination of: State Indoctrination, Corporatism, and low pay. The first two are pretty self explanatory. I see the third in this light: the employees are paid just enough to not quit on the spot, but not enough to encourage any kind of growth or development. Many of these people are coming in with hopes of developing a career, but what happens is it quickly becomes a dead end job with no chance of actual growth. Sure, the company wants the employee to develop skills and talents that will aid the company’s profit margin, but are they willing to show their appreciation with a pay increase? No. More importantly, thanks to Obamacare, most are further destroying the “ladder” by getting rid of the middle rungs by closing full time positions. That was usually the best way to get into management. You start off part time, work your ass off, then get a full time position, with a slight pay bump. After that you hustled a little, another step up and another pay bump. Not any more. They hire part time. Then hire outside for higher paying positions.
I agree about corporate guide lines and such and we are in the same boat, management at a large retail chain store. However the way I see it, it is far worse to leave a prominant endcap half empty then to put other similar items on it. We haven’t found a way to sale empty space yet so I want something out there.
BTW, I just heard a radio spot for Survival Punk on Freedom Feens! Very cool!
Badass! I was wondering if anyone was coming from the ads.
I agree about corporate guide lines and such and we are in the same boat, management at a large retail chain store. However the way I see it, it is far worse to leave a prominant endcap half empty then to put other similar items on it. We haven’t found a way to sale “empty space yet so I want something out there.”
That’s using your head, corporate doesn’t want thinkers, just followers.
Couldn’t agree more. I often receive open-ended instructions at work and have to find answers with little direction to go on. At the very least I return with, I could not find what specifically what you asked for, but I found these related pieces of information that may help if we make a few assumptions or perhaps you have more information to give me, or there’s a way to acquire the exact information you need, but it will cost money or something else that I need further permission for. The people who stop at the first hurdle drive me nuts. I think Jack Spirko’s cooking without the parsley metaphor is perfect.
I think this is normal behavior for people that have been beat down or held down there whole life. Schools teach how to follow, not how to lead, and punish accordingly. The other half to this, so many people have been criticized so heavily when they do speak up or take initiative, that they no longer do so. Unfortunately not everyone has the fortitude, or bullheadedness, to keep speaking up or taking initiative no matter what.
This abides in our Government – in welfare. Our citizens are forced to ‘not decide’ to get a job because the cost (time, money, and effort) is more than letting the Government do it for you. What’s next is their philosophy of what they have to do to get a hand out.