“Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” — Benjamin Franklin.
I’ve worked in a variety of different positions in my short 24 years of existence. Those jobs have ranged greatly — I’ve worked as a cashier, a sales clerk, a secretary and staff writer, in addition to my current role as assistant editor of Club Solutions. Though these positions are diverse in terms of function, each one imparted me with valuable life lessons.
One lesson, which I learned while working as a sales clerk at a locally-owned retail store called *Oddities, has stuck with me till this day. And though it wasn’t a pleasant lesson for me to learn, it’s one I think will aid me if the roles are ever switched, and I become the boss.
It had been a long, but successful day at Oddities. Customers had come and gone, and lots of items had been sold. In addition, back stock had been cataloged and placed on the floor, and the store looked great (at least in my opinion).
I was locking up, when all of the sudden, the owner, *Julia, showed up unexpectedly. I wasn’t concerned, as the store looked good and I hadn’t done anything wrong. My mood was bright and cheery, and I was excited to see Julia, whom I respected. That was, until Julia said vehemently, “I’m thinking about firing you.”
I was shocked, as this came with absolutely no prior warning. “I’ve been very unhappy with you lately,” she continued. “Honestly, the only reason I’m not firing you right now is because your coworkers have vouched for you.”
Immediately, I was devastated. I really cared about the job, was proud of the effort I had put into it, and cared about Julia’s opinion. Hearing that she felt so little of my value as an employee was disheartening, to say the least.
But I didn’t say much of anything. Instead, I listened to Julia continue to berate me until my confidence was basically non-existent. All over things that previously, I had no idea Julia disapproved.
What’s funny is that if I’d known I was upsetting Julia prior to our confrontation, I would have stopped doing so immediately. And to be clear, these things weren’t common sense items one should have known not to do. These were personal preferences that take experience to learn.
And learn, I did. However, not in an effective way. Afterwards, things at Oddities were never the same. I dreaded to come to work, and my performance lacked because I was always working in a state of negativity, versus a positive one — all over what I believe to be a lack of communication.
Which is the whole point of this story. Just because something is clear to you, it doesn’t mean it’s clear to others. If you’re unhappy with an employee’s behavior, tell them sooner than later, and give them a chance to correct it. And be constructive. Don’t stomp on their confidence and dishearten them to the point of dreading coming to work. After all, “being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” Forgive and educate your employees of things they’re ignorant of, and give them the chance to learn from it.
At least, that’s what I’ll do when it’s my turn to be the boss.
*Names have been changed.
Rachel Zabonick is the assistant editor for Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@clubsolutionsmagazine.com. Reach out to her about exciting events or programs your club has implemented, or to share the amazing accomplishments of a member.
