Alex wrote:
>
> I own a business with revenue of over $5 million per year. My
> college degree was a minor help in that. Most of what I learned was
> from prior employment and a lot of hard work. Not all industries are
> the same and not all can be taught in school. I don't want to die a
> few years after retirement like too many people do. I'm set now but
> I like what I do and I employ more than a dozen people (all over
> $18/hour and the top at $75K per year) so that is more motivation to
> keep it going and not sell out. I offer them a 401K, with a 4%
> match, as well as profit sharing but Biden's corporate tax cuts might
> make that impossible to continue.
>
> What has your education done for you?
Funny you mention it. In all the schools and things (putting self
through college, didn't make the final semester) there are 3 key things.
Latin class, taught me root words. AP english made me rock solid at
writing (when I bother to go to professional style) and fast food jobs
taught me the ethics of a good employee.
Key to being a good employee isn't to clock in and do your job, (though
important to be there on time!) but to seek for ways to improve it. It
can be very small but it adds up.
EX: At Taco Bell they ate a huge load of manhours over closing
procedures. I wanted to go home so I looked at it and made some
changes in how I handled it. A lot of things could be done in advance
while the slower pace of the later evening came around. About 8pm,
you'd get enough business to be valid to stay open until 10pm, but
there was also time to catchup washing dishes. Instead of sitting
there, I'd tell the cashier to call me if I didn't hear a customer
arrive (bell on the door). I'd refill containers for the morning crowd
and have them in the fridge (as opposed to waiting until after
closing). Each little 'bit' was not significant however in the end I
shifted a 1.5 hour closing practice to about 20 minutes. Then we
tackled some of the Manager's closing jobs and got them down to about 1
hour but most of the crew was out and off the clock in 30 minutes.
You own a company. That specific may not be relevant to your company
but the *attitude* I am sure is. Good work ethics always shine
through. It engendered in me a way of looking at how something can be
done better or faster.
The other one, I learned at my first command from my Chief. Never be a
knowledge hoarder. That's something the Navy hates with a passion
because we transfer so much. Never be the 'only one who knows how to
do something'. Translation today? I'm teaching lessons in how to make
reports in OBIEE (a BI tool off an Oracle 11g DB). I can't be the only
one who can pull some of the reports we need for work.