Rotting Cucumbers & Moldy Chese

We can all relate to discovering a rotting cucumber or a hunk of moldy cheese lost in the depths of our refrigerator.

It wasn’t intentional. It just got buried and then forgotten, pushed to the back, never eaten before the expiration date.  But the result is the same – it spoiled.

I often see perfectly good employees who are buried and forgotten. Typically, they are the quiet ones. They do their jobs day-in and day-out without much fuss or fanfare. They become invisible next to team members who need a lot of attention or are star performers.   

One of two things will happen:

1.   They quit and stay: the job is easy, predictable, with little hassle (and a side of apathy). [Think ROI]

2.   They just quit: if you don’t appreciate them, they can find someone who will. [Think ROI]

Neither are good outcomes. As leaders and managers, we can’t leave anyone feeling ignored or forgotten. It’s like leaving your dead on the battlefield to be scavenged by wolves and crows.

If your answer is you don’t have time, my question would be “is this a situation or a problem”?

If it is a situation, there is often nothing you can do about it and my recommendation is to do something else.

If it is a problem, get some help fixing it. There is no shame in admitting you need help. There is no shame in being humble.

Just don’t wait until you lose another employee that will take even more time to replace. Enjoy your veggies now while you can still appreciate their crisp, fresh, healthy, goodness.

Failure isn’t a lack of making mistakes, failure is not learning from those mistakes.