By: Thomas L. Armstrong, CPA, CFO, President Elect, Business Manager, Fulton Schools
A few years ago, I worked in a district where students from an adult special needs classroom came around and emptied the recycling bins in our offices. They would sort the various recyclables and take them to the community recycling center. One day, Jimmy (not his real name) came into my office to find my recycling bin empty. He exclaimed, “Gall darn you Tom Armstrong, wasting my fricking time!” Rest assured that Jimmy used more colorful language than what I’ve included above.
I’ve told this story many times, in many settings and it never fails to elicit hearty laughter. Here’s the thing, Jimmy was right. Perhaps not in the way he chose to express himself, but I had, indeed, wasted his time. I’m not sure if I was lazy, aloof or just plain anti recycling but I most certainly did not do the part of my job that included putting recyclables in the bin in my office.
While I believe that recycling is important and impactful, this column is not about recycling. I shared Jimmy’s story to illustrate how important everyone in an organization is to the success of that organization. To paraphrase a cliché, if we all succeed the organization succeeds.
What does success look like in this context? I would posit that success would be a clear understanding of expectations and folks meeting or exceeding those expectations. Jimmy had a very clear understanding of our expectations. He was expected to visit all of the offices with recycling bins and empty the bins. He met that expectation spectacularly. On the other hand, I was aware of the expectation that I would place any recyclables from my office in the bin. I failed miserably in meeting that expectation.
As leaders in our districts we must always be mindful that we need to do the things required for others to be successful in their jobs. Also, always throw at least one piece of paper in the recycling bin.