Fraternity-Testvériség, 1959 (37. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1959-01-01 / 1. szám
6 FRATERNITY A great teacher, Herbert Spencer, gives a clue. He wrote: “Progress in modern life ... is not an accident, but a necessity.” It’s a necessity for your organization — make no mistake about that. American production has expanded by billions in recent years. So has competition. There’s no room in any company for “horse-and-buggy” thinking. A mid-western firm once had a top-notch young executive on its payroll. He looked like a sure bet for promotion — he was personable, hardworking, dependable. But something went wrong. All of a sudden he seemed to be standing still, his progress was stymied. The General Manager investigated and found out what had happened. Although his thinking was sound and creative, he was slowed down by the inability to express himself in writing and other communications. A brief course in the use of a Dictaphone Time-Master dictating machine and a reading of the dictator’s handbook, “Writing Out Loud”, cleared up the young man’s problem. “Communication” has become an important word in modern business. “Speak plainly and to the purpose”, said Shakespeare, and his advice is still good today. We could add: “speak often.” Leap at speaking opportunities at the PTA, your lodge, church group. You’ll find yourself gaining in self-confidence. And your command of the language, your articulation will rise as well. Listen to your dictation by playing it back so you can hear yourself as others hear you. Learn to get people to like you. The boss who remembers his employees’ birthdays is always appreciated. Sending a card to a sick coworker shows your concern and your interest. For example: How can you make the new worker in your department feel more at home? You’re not just making a friend — you’ve also helped build team-work for the company. Those are just a few hints that can lead to the next raise. There are others. Want to see how you stack up with the “man who is going places?” Give yourself five points for every yes answer — on this test. Then check your total at the end. 1. Have you made any new suggestions about plant or office procedures in the last six months? 2. Do you volunteer to do jobs that aren’t part of your specific duties? 3. Are you full of zest and vigor — in other words, do you keep in good shape? 4. Do you have a pretty good idea of what position you’d like to have ten years from now? 5. Are you really down-deep proud of your performance in your job? 6. Are you friendly with your co-workers? 7. Have you usually stuck with a task assigned to you, even if you didn’t like it? 8. Do you study material relating to your work in off-duty hours? 9. Do you take criticism as a spur to do better? 10. Do you use whatever new time-saving equipment is installed by your company, such as a Dictaphone machine for example? 11. Do you read the daily paper and a few magazines or books each month?
