There is always a shortage of people who get the job done on time without excuses or grumbling.
If you really study those who have reached the top of any organization, you will find that they are the people who cheerfully accept challenges, take the initiative, and get the job done. They don’t complain, and they don’t make excuses. Those who never get anywhere in their jobs and careers can’t seem to understand that achievers don’t become achievers after they reach the top. They reached the top because of the way they conducted themselves along the way. You can easily become one of those individuals who regularly advance in the organization — if you are willing to pay the price. Any good manager will tell you that the type of people who are most in demand are those who can think for themselves, who will take the initiative to do the right thing without being told, and who will stick to the job until it is finished. You can be one of those people if you choose to be.
You can always see in others whatever traits of character you are looking for.
Margaret Wolfe Hungerford said, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” It was her way of saying that we see what we wish to see in others. Every living human being is a complex combination of feelings, emotions, and thoughts — some good, some bad. Your impression of another depends far more upon you and your expectations of that person. If you believe someone is good, you will find good qualities. If you don’t, you won’t. When you are yourself a positive person, you tend to find positive qualities in others. As you work to develop good, constructive habits to improve yourself continually, make it a practice to look for those same qualities in others. It’s easy to spot another’s shortcomings, but when you identify the good in others and congratulate them upon their positive achievements, you will make friends on whom you can always depend — both in good times and bad.
Friendly cooperation will get you far more than unfriendly agitation in any market.
When you treat your competitors with the courtesy and respect you would like, most will respond in kind, and the result is a stable, productive, profitable industry. On the other hand, an industry or market that is composed of vicious, unethical competitors will soon destroy itself. When you are asked how your products and services compare with those of your competitors, speak respectfully and politely about your rivals, but use the question to shift the discussion to your company and your products. Acknowledge others’ good points, and then move on. If you complain too much about the competition, prospective customers may wonder what they are missing and refuse to buy until they have compared your products and services with those of others.