Reviving Work Ethic: A Leader’s Guide to Ending Entitlement and Restoring Pride in the Emerging Workforce

225 Pages·2012·2.1 MB·English

by  Eric Chester

R E V I V I N G
W O R K
E T H I C
A Leader’s Guide to
Ending Entitlement and
Restoring Pride in
the Emerging Workforce
E R I C C H E S T E R
Published by Greenleaf Book Group Press
Austin, Texas
www.gbgpress.com
Copyright ©2012 Eric Chester
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
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right holder.
Distributed by Greenleaf Book Group LLC
For ordering information or special discounts for bulk purchases,
please contact Greenleaf Book Group LLC at PO Box 91869, Austin,
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Design and composition by Greenleaf Book Group LLC
and Bumpy Design
Cover design by Greenleaf Book Group LLC
Cover photo by Eric Weber
Publisher’s Cataloging-In-Publication Data
(Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.)
Chester, Eric.
Reviving work ethic : a leader’s guide to ending entitlement and
restoring pride in the emerging workforce / Eric Chester. — 1st ed.
p. ; cm.
ISBN: 978-1-60832-242-8
1. Work ethic. 2. Employee motivation. 3. Intergenerational rela-
tions. I. Title.
HD4905 .C54 2012
306.361/3 2011932963
Part of the Tree Neutral® program, which offsets the
number of trees consumed in the production and printing
of this book by taking proactive steps, such as planting
trees in direct proportion to the number of trees used:
www.treeneutral.com
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
11 12 13 14 15 16 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
•••
Contents
Acknowledgments .........................................................................v
Foreword .....................................................................................vii
Prologue .......................................................................................ix
Introduction ..................................................................................1
Chapter 1: Rewinding the Game of Life ........................................7
Chapter 2: C oming to Terms with This Thing Called
Work Ethic ................................................................21
Chapter 3: Up and Over—The Leader’s Challenge ...................33
Chapter 4: What Happens When You’re Not Watching ..............47
Chapter 5: Positive Attitude ......................................................61
Chapter 6: Reliability .................................................................81
Chapter 7: Professionalism ......................................................99
Chapter 8: Initiative ..................................................................119
Chapter 9: Respect ..................................................................139
Chapter 10: Integrity ................................................................159
Chapter 11: Gratitude .................................................................181
Chapter 12: The Valued Proposition .........................................201

•••
Acknowledgments
I owe my work ethic to my father, W. Grant Chester,
whose mission in life was to make certain that his only
son knew how to survive—and succeed—in any economy.
Thanks for teaching me how to work, Dad, and for con-
vincing me to never sign my name to anything that wasn’t
my very best effort. I wish you were alive to read this book;
your fingerprints are all over it.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to several very close
friends and colleagues for encouraging me to tackle this
difficult topic, hit it hard, pull no punches, and stay on
task. Thanks to Mark Sanborn, Theo Androus, Dan Thur-
mon, Chase LeBlanc, Shep Hyken, my attorney—Jeff
Brimer of Faegre & Benson—and to my wise-beyond-
his-years son-in-law, Christopher Rhyme, JD.
I am fortunate to be surrounded with great business
partners who allow me to dream out loud and work tire-
lessly to bring those dreams to fruition. Thanks to my
sister, Christie Michelle, and also to Matt Smith, Tom
Kilijanek, PhD, Fred Waugh, and Seth Ford.
REVIVING WORK ETHIC
A huge shout-out to the following very gifted writ-
ers for helping me craft my ideas and put them on paper
in a logical and compelling way: Stephen Caldwell, T.J.
Wihera, and my son, Zachary Chester.
Special thanks to my wife, Lori. No one works harder,
cheers louder, and loves deeper.
vi
•••
Foreword
When Eric Chester asked me to write the foreword for
Reviving Work Ethic, I was thrilled. Not just because I
love to read Eric’s books, but also because the subject of
this new book—handling and being handled by the next
generation—is such a fascinating and critical topic today!
How do you develop work ethic in the emerging
workforce? Better yet, how do you do that while building
your own business? The solution, which Eric so eloquently
provides in the pages that follow, is the key to the success
of both those in leadership positions now and those to
whom the baton of leadership will be passed.
With all the changes happening in the world today,
young people just entering the workforce in the West will
be working in an atmosphere that is completely different
from the one previous generations entered into.
The hard fact is, it’s tough out there, and it’s only going
to get tougher. In the past, older people have historically
liked to brag: “When I was young, things were tougher.” I
don’t believe this is accurate anymore. I say, “When I was
young, things were easier.”
REVIVING WORK ETHIC
For one thing, we have globalization. Lots of us
thought globalization meant that people around the world
would be competing to buy our products. What we’re
finding is that it often means people across the planet are
competing for our jobs. Millions of smart, hardworking
young people—who speak fluent English—are graduat-
ing from colleges around the world. Many of them have
no expectations of being handed anything. They know
they are going to have to make it based on their own
motivation and abilities.
In today’s era of uncertainty, nothing can be taken for
granted. Young people need to develop skills and talents
that will make them globally competitive. They need a
strong work ethic to survive and thrive. And Eric’s point—
that if you develop this work ethic, you will strengthen and
build your own business—could not be more pertinent.
No matter what industry you work in, this book will
be useful to you and the young people you are striving to
help. Read it and you, too, will understand how develop-
ing work ethic in the emerging workforce will build your
business and launch their careers!
—Marshall Goldsmith, world-renowned executive coach
and author of the New York Times bestsellers Mojo and
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
viii
•••
Prologue
The decline of work ethic is not uniquely an American
problem, but one that is affecting all Western nations and
a growing number of those in the East.
Further, the lack of work ethic is not a problem that
can be attributed to any specific demographic or genera-
tion. However, the ideas and strategies for reviving work
ethic that follow are more easily applied—and the overall
impact is more sustainable—with teens and young adults,
as these individuals’ workplace habits and core values are
still being formed.
This is a battle no organization or country can afford
to lose, much less continue to ignore.