Through the years

Each day that you can help to make your workers happy and productive, is another day that turns into years for the better.

Achieving higher production does not mean you are popular with upper management or even anyone outside your group.

Popularity does not equal production, and production does not equal popularity.

Now, I am assuming that you took the road of intelligence and went beyond the normal "just do things by the book" mentality. If you have invested and immersed yourself in an in-depth understanding of the human psyche, listened to the workers and taken quick, decisive action to cure what was wrong - you are winning the battle against an absurdity called mediocrity and low performance.

If you have done this, your unit may show higher production numbers. Then an enemy behind the scenes says "this man or this woman must be stopped" and "get that guy before he wrecks the breakfast buffet."

Keep your production going. Push back against naysayers even if it means the death knell for any hopes of a promotion or recognition.

Through the years, your workers will remember you - the respect you gave them - and how they made a difference because of your leadership. How they helped the customer in ways that would not have been possible - if not for YOU.

In the end, it's the workers that mattered. The people that had no voice and little respect till you gave it to them.