Thursday, March 5, 2009

Essay #2

I was touring and talking with an employee that had just started when I noticed it... It's a funny thing the way the mob classifies the newbies. No sooner than they were brought through the door and walked past the employee break area they were subjected to the masses judging gauntlet. I could see their scanning eyes probing the new girl, was she going to get along with them, what position did she have, and most importantly what type of employee was she? They see everyone as fitting into one of three categories. There are the Short-termers that think they are just using the job as a stepping stone. The Greenies, they are the ones that have just landed their first jobs. And lastly there are the Pro's the ones that are well seasoned, they come with experience and are here with more permanent intentions.

The Short-termers make the majority. Most of them have been in the industry a long time. I like them because they have a good understanding of how it is they need to do their job. There is only one difference between them and the Pro's, they won't accept that what they are doing just works for them. It's unfortunate because their jobs aren't the jobs they want. They are more often people that have tried a different line of work, or aspire to. They are always trying to convince me that they are only going to cook or wait tables until they get back on their feet, finish school, or hit it big on their next trip to AC. It's this group that I have the most empathy for. They know what they are doing but they don't like where they are at. I wish for their sakes that they could just be happy being good at their jobs but it seems that isn't enough to them, they haven't lived up to their own expectations. I suppose we can all relate to the situation in one way or another.


“Greenies”, they are referred to as such because of the relation to unripened fruit. They don't come with all of the experience and understanding of how to do their job, they aren't yet ripe. I like these people because they haven't developed any bad habits. They don't know yet to complain about a tip under 15% or that they can cook things their own way but still have the food come out looking the same as what is specified. They are about to learn so much. How to interact with peers professionally and how to complete tasks associated with their job proficiently. I am always so excited for these individuals. I cherish every opportunity I have to pick up a new trick. I love learning and like others to have the opportunity to learn, so I like to see the Greenies coming into their own and getting to take it all in. The biggest benefit for me with Greenies is that they only know how to do things one way, the way we taught them.


Then there are the Pro's. These are the people that have chosen their career and exhibit great skill in it. These are of course the ones I like the most. They come with a wealth of knowledge and are only interested in applying it along with their ability to the job I've hired them for. They take pride in their work, they work hard and are precise, and they complain less because they like where they are at. These people have a spark, they are passionate about people, good food, and fast paces. I'm happiest for these folks because they only want to do their job, they've reached the point that they had hoped to achieve and are successful in it. I make an extra point to touch base with these individuals because they always have the best suggestions.


I manage a team of almost 150 very diverse individuals in an assortment of over 20 different types of positions. All of them bring something different to the table and they were all hired for a reason. There is something I like about each type of person even if there were only these 3 types of people. I don't really dig the whole, ”let's divvy ourselves up” kind of mentality that always seems to happen when you group people together, but I think everyone ends up sort of programmed with it from youth. In the end, I finished the tour with the young lady and congratulated her on her new position. I watched her walk into the employee restaurant, look around the room, and eventually sit down with a group of young girls that had all started within the last month. I suppose she may have done the same thing they did and had decided just as they probably had that she was one of them.

1 comment:

  1. I read soooooo many essays and rarely see anything new in the topic line, but this one qualifies--this is very much a manager's-eye view and, though logical, is not really obvious at all, so it was a pleasure to read (and to learn something new.)

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