02.02.10 Do Not Expect Your Boss to Discipline Your Body for You – Discipline Yourself

The ‘Building Boom’ and the Hungry Guard

Shima sighed with relief as he ascended the last flight of stairs, and onto the concrete roof of his new four-storied apartment building.  A wave of fresh air greeted him, complemented with an excellent view of the rolling hills of Kampala City.  He froze briefly to admire the scenery before proceeding to inspect the freshly installed cloth lines that a fussy but potential tenant had demanded to see before renting the apartments.    

Although construction is not for the faint-hearted, Shima’s stubborn determination had pushed him through the highs and lows.  Now, his dream had metamorphosed into reality - fully furnished luxury apartments that would appease expatriates with deep pockets.  

Needless to say, Shima had worried about getting tenants, given the current ‘building boom’ which had heightened the competition.  But his fears had been averted after meeting Galabuzi who had indicated that his organisation would rent the building on condition that some finishes were completed.  Plus they had agreed to pay two years upfront. And, as Shima’s father was due for cardiac surgery abroad, the rent revenue would contribute to the astronomical medical bills.

A light drizzle recollected his thoughts back to the present.  Satisfied with the fixed cloth lines, he hurried down the stairs, instructing Bashir the guard to be on ‘stand-by’ for the expected potential tenant.  

The following day, Galabuzi went for a final inspection of Shima’s apartments.  But much to his dismay, the gate appeared locked; and, the place conspicuously quiet.  Neither did his repeated hootings produce any guard.  Then Galabuzi muttered to himself with irritated impatience, “What is this? Shima promised that the guard would be here to let me in!  I had better give him a call”.

But as he reached for his cell phone, Rehema (his Secretary) called, explaining that another landlord, Mohammed, was at their office, claiming to have cheaper and better apartments.  

Galabuzi’s telephone discussion with Mohammed was brief, agreeing that they meet in Naalya (a city suburb) to view the apartments.  And true to Mohammed’s word, the apartments were far better than Shima’s.  Soon thereafter, a lease was signed and the deal sealed.  

Later, Shima called Galabuzi to check on the organisation’s decision.  But, not only did Galabuzi regretfully inform him of their change of mind, but he also complained about having had to wait endlessly for the guard, despite Shima’s promise that someone would be around to open for Galabuzi!

Soon after hanging up, Shima demanded an explanation from the guard for his absence from the premises.  Bashir apologetically explained that he had dashed off to grab a bite as he was intolerably hungry.  This excuse infuriated Shima so immensely that he sacked Bashir on the spot.  He could not imagine how the guard’s lack of self-discipline could stand between him (Shima) and the income he so desperately needed to foot his father’s medical bills.  And, with the surgery scheduled for the following week, where was he going to find money at this ‘midnight hour’? 

I referred to Shima’s story recently when invited to speak to some employees of a certain organisation, whose customers were complaining about a rampant lack of self-discipline.      

I started our discussion by saying that self-discipline was a must for all service employees, as no one could claim to provide excellent services if he or she did not know how to harness him- or herself.

I then explained that those aspiring to have ‘self-discipline’ should initially have a solid understanding of the ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ of their jobs.  Bashir for example, ought to have known the acceptable standards for a guard, including the fact that leaving the gate unattended would be considered unprofessional.

I added that to be self-disciplined, one would have to identify those habits that stopped him or her from achieving professional success.  Bashir, for instance, should have identified the ‘failure to control hunger’ as an enemy to his performance.

I cautioned them that ‘self-discipline’ involved paying a price.  With Bashir for example, ‘self-discipline’ meant enduring ‘hunger’ as he waited for Galabuzi.

Towards the end, I stated that self-discipline required positive energy in order to break bad habits and adopt desirable ones.  “Where do you think does such a drive come from?” I asked the employees, seeking their participation.  Renata was the first to respond, “…it helps to have a ‘down-to-earth’ realisation of the negative consequences of our bad habits.  For instance, if the consequences of being sacked had hit Bashir, he would never have left the gate unattended”.  Then Mikaeli added, “Realising how you will benefit from being self-disciplined is also very important.  If Bashir had appreciated the fact that the tenants were his ‘salary payers’, he would have ignored the hunger and opted to wait for Galabuzi happily and relentlessly”.  I couldn’t agree the more!

That said, organisations should take deliberate steps to ensure that the needs of guards and other employees are not ignored.  Unlike robots, hungry employees may not deliver as expected.

At the end of the session, the employees pledged their readiness to pay the price of ‘self-discipline’ as an investment towards excellent service delivery.  And as I departed, I felt convinced that they would abide by that promise.