Sunday, March 01, 2015

Do You Feel Successful?

 
One of my employees resigned this month.  As we were going over her exit paperwork she blurted out, “I never felt successful here.” I was flabbergasted, “What do you mean you WEREN’T SUCCESSFUL HERE?” She had been an exemplary employee and extremely successful. 

“I couldn’t keep up with the paperwork. I’d go home every night and worry about the piles of un-posted invoices. I never felt successful.”
This employee had worked at our company for twelve years as an Accounts Payable Associate. She managed the payables for eight of our stores. Invoices came in daily.  Having ALL of the invoices posted at any one time was an unattainable goal.  She would never be 100% caught up. 

Several times over the last couple of years, she’s complained about her piles of unfinished paperwork and I’ve always discredited her concerns especially when she suggested hiring additional staff.  As long as she had the previous month’s invoices posted (and she always did) by the time I closed that month’s financial statements I considered her keeping up.  Instead I would recommend more efficient ways she could perform her job.
A few weeks ago, just the two of us were in on a Saturday, she took this as an opportunity to discuss her workload and our company’s plans to build a new store this year.  This would mean even more work for my employee.  I again discussed the changes she needs to make in her position to take advantage of technology and become more efficient. I offered to help her. She still uses an outdated version of our accounting software that does not support some of the new features required for her job. She asked if we would consider hiring additional staff.  I again told her no.

The following Monday she resigned. She plans on working for her son at his business.
This employee hates change with a passion and pushes back when our company requires her to do so, but this does not mean she wasn’t successful.  As she was about to leave for good I asked her to come into my office, but was interrupted by our company’s President so I included him in my conversation.  I told him she hadn’t felt successful at our company and the two of us rattled off all the reasons why she was a success.  I could count on one hand the mistakes she had made.  She never voided checks while her predecessor would hand my boss several voided checks daily. We received more returned checks mailed to the wrong vendor in one day under her predecessor than during the entire 12 years this employee worked at our company. Our President chimed in with how she got along with everyone (he feels this is more important than her accuracy).  He thanked her for handling all of those irate payable vendors during the recession with such diplomacy and pleasantness.  He then told her if she ever decided she wanted to come back he would find a spot for her. 

I hope she left feeling like a success. 
Personally, I currently feel more successful than I have in the past.  My husband’s semi-retirement at the end of last year has freed-up my time so I can devote more of it to work without worrying about cleaning and errands.  As much as I complained about the work conference I attended last month, I returned with new ideas and new energy. I’m also happy with my current blog challenge to live healthy on a budget.  I had been floundering in search of a niche that feels like my purpose and think this may be it.

How about you?  Do you feel successful? Why or why not?

14 comments:

  1. Interesting post about perspective. I have wanted to quit ,because I feel like I can't keep up at work or I'm barely keeping up, but I have to take a step back to really see that I'm doing pretty well.

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    1. Good for you Kimberly. I hope it works. Working in accounting can be hard sometimes - the work never ends. (Kind of like blogging)

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  2. Very interesting! It can be hard to feel successful when the work is never done.

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  3. This was an encouraging read. I appreciate you sharing this story with us. We never really appreciate our successes in life until someone else points it out sometimes. For your sake, I hope she decides to return to her position.

    To answer your question, I was starting to feel like a success when I had a fairly decent amount of pageviews. Then I crushed it because I decided to chase the almighty dollar instead of following my heart. Now I'm paying for that huge mistake. I'm hoping to gain my success back and fix my mistakes!

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    1. Good luck Crystal. Blogging is a constant learning experience especially when you need to earn money. She didn't decide to return and I am in the process of training someone else. I did tell the new employee not worry about the piles of paper several times, so she doesn't become obsessed with it. Hopefully I learned something from this too.

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  4. I don't think I've ever known what feeling successful as a whole means. I have had concrete successes and achievements but it may be that it feels premature to declare the actual feeling of "being successful" in the same way that feeling like a failure would: life and work is ongoing so how do I judge a fluid state except by whether there is continually progress?

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    1. I agree continual progress is probably key, which is why my employee never felt successful - the piles never went away. An interesting tidbit - my new employee doesn't like the pile system and has moved the piles of invoices out of site.

      As I get older I feel more successful. I think it is because I now measure success on my own terms rather than on society's terms.

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  5. When I worked in the corporate world, I knew my job 100% and was, hands down, the best at it. I mean it. I was a coveted assistant - I had VPs clamoring for my help. I was that good.

    In my new role, however, as an at-home freelancer, wanna-be author, and mom/wife, I have a very hard time measuring success. It's not exactly a gratuity-filled job. I'm often helping small business owners who don't even have the time to tie their shoes, let alone give me feedback. My husband tells me I'm rockin' it, but he kinda has alternate motivation (happy wife = happy life). I suppose my kids are alive, my blog still going, and a little bit of money still coming in, so if that's success, then yes. I'm successful. I'd rather be happy, though, and have all this stuff worked out. So maybe for me, personally, I'll feel successful when I am happy and soaking up the life I'm building each and every day.

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    1. Interesting story. When you were in the corporate world you were sought out as the "go to person." Every time you were sought out you felt successful. Now you only hear from clients/family when something is wrong. As I frequently tell my company's IT Manager, "No one calls to say my computer is running great today - thank you."

      I think for myself - I'm also one of the go-to-employees in my office. I would miss the feedback too. You can say relish the moments, be happy knowing you are living life on your terms, but I would have a hard time doing that.

      If it is any consolation I love your blog and all the great comments you live here and find you to be an inspiration - living life on your terms.

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  6. I'm an overachiever. My inclination is to keep striving to achieve goals and once I achieve them, move on to the next. Recently I've been working at being more present as far as recognizing my achievements. Someone told me once that I was successful and I was looking around like "who are you talking to?" Haha.

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    1. Interesting. I would do the same thing. Sometimes we are so hard on ourselves.

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  7. In one job, I never felt successful and I did end up leaving the company because it was just pointless. I also felt that I had skills that were not being fully utilized. I don't feel successful right now because I don't have a job.

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    1. This is sad Satia. Sometimes outside recognition is so important to our perceived value. You are a talented writer. I hope you find your niche.

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