A significant portion of Jamaicans seem to have disdain for disciplined, dedicated and hardworking individuals.  Often times I’ve heard statements like, “Him a gwaan like a fi him place” or “a jus’ position him a look.”  What do these statements point to?  Is it a lack of ambition or motivation?  Is it the flawed reasoning of unintelligent minds?  Or is it some unfortunate result of growing up in Jamaica where jealousy and “bad mind” are so prevalent?

A lot of us fail to realize why we are hired by organizations. Organizations generally have a CEO who is also the owner. That business owner worked hard to have his business established to a point where he/she is now making a profit. Most business owners, I’m sure, would love to keep all business income themselves but after reaching a certain point of growth, that becomes unrealistic and inefficient. If the CEO could keep doing all the tasks himself in an efficient way he would. But he can’t. Therefore, he needs to hire people to help him do what he needs to do in order to keep his business profitable. 

In looking for employees, employers seek individuals who will put as much effort into making the business succeed as they would if they were able to do everything themselves. They try to find people who will treat company property like it was their own, people who go the extra mile to conserve on company resources, people who will put in an extra hour or two if the situation warrants it and people who are interested in seeing the company maximize its potential. Therefore, when accepting a new job, individuals need to be cognizant of this and perform accordingly as anything less is breaching this implied contract with your employer.  People shouldn’t be ridiculed for working to expectation.It should be embraced and aspired to. 

Why do ambitious people work?  Is it to remain stagnant or is it to progress to a point of self-actualization? In my opinion, it is the latter. “Looking a position” is a means to that end.  If your dreams are to own a house and car, to send your children to college, to be able to afford vacations and to have a worthwhile bank account, there is no way to achieve that being at the bottom of the ladder. You need to work hard to achieve your goals.  Increased earnings come with higher positions and that is what everyone should be working towards. Instead of acting like crabs in a barrel and pulling down your fellow employees who are striving for excellence, become a source of support to help them on their way. Aim to emulate them and do the utmost for the highest.  It will only benefit you in the long run.  Even if your current employer isn’t appreciative of your efforts, working with discipline and integrity will only aid your cause in the long run.

So, even though you don’t own the business, act as if you do.  Seek your positions by working hard and don’t let the condescending remarks of others dampen your spirits and stop you from being all that you can be.