Getting the Job Done

Centratel’s success is built around two premises: We employ great people and then we provide them with excellent tools and systems. And, within this success formula is a manager’s “ticket” to advancement within company. The trait we look for is "can you get the job DONE?" Can you decipher what needs to be done and then actually get it done without a lot of hand-holding?

So, this is what I want to know: Can you get the job done?

What are the visible signs of someone who gets the job done?

• A task is fully understood and described on paper prior to commencement
• Assigned task deadlines are met without excuse. If there is a problem meeting a deadline, the time to speak up about it is when the task is assigned. Once the task and deadline are agreed upon, the manager is expected to deliver. Missing a deadline can be a silent, seemingly non-important issue. That perception is always a mistake.
• If a deadline can’t be met for unforeseeable problems that crop up, the manager who has issued the deadline is informed prior to the deadline. The reason the deadline cannot be met is valid and documented. An alternative completion date is submitted. This should be a rare occurrence.
• A project/task is completed as assigned.
• Projects are developed, delegated and completed by the individual on a regular basis. The staff member doesn’t leave it up to the supervisor to initiate tasks and projects. The radar is constantly working. A valuable staff member is aware of tasks that need to be handled and does something. Here’s the crux: It is better to do something and make a mistake than to do nothing at all, waiting for someone else to give direction.

For any leader, it is not easy to find people who have, instilled in their bellies, the kind of self-discipline required to “get the job done.” But, many times the hesitation to take action is simply the fear of making a mistake. So, a penchant for “getting the job done” can be a learned characteristic: Remember that making a mistake is better than not taking action. A self-starter has courage.

The people who have a powerful internal understanding of this concept will always be the ones at the top of the organization, earning the highest incomes and enjoying the greatest freedoms. Notwithstanding integrity and loyalty, there simply is no other trait that comes close to the importance of this one.

-Sam Carpenter, President
February 2, 2007