{"id":528,"date":"2017-09-18T15:49:35","date_gmt":"2017-09-18T15:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danielvlopes238992071.wordpress.com\/2017\/09\/18\/fine-a-telling-sign-of-a-disengaged-employee\/"},"modified":"2024-10-11T12:12:56","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T19:12:56","slug":"fine-a-telling-sign-of-a-disengaged-employee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2017\/09\/18\/fine-a-telling-sign-of-a-disengaged-employee\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cFine\u201d: A telling sign of a disengaged employee"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How this one tiny word reveals a lot when it comes to employee dissatisfaction.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Listen closely for the word \u201cfine.\u201d It\u2019s never the whole story.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Growing up, my family and I moved around quite a bit. From Georgia to Washington to Ohio to Minnesota\u2026 People assumed we were a military family because of how often we moved. But that wasn\u2019t the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each time, we moved because of my dad\u2019s job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My dad has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering. His first job coming out of his doctorate program was building robots to clear nuclear waste (nuts, right?). He did that for a few years, but then wanted to get into teaching. So we moved to where he could go teach at a university. After teaching for a handful of years, he wanted to work in business. So we moved again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With each move, it was clear: There was something more<\/em> he desired from his job. More growth opportunities, more autonomy, more ways to improve the environment around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a kid, these moves began to wear on me. I had to change schools, make new friends, and be \u201cThe New Kid\u201d all over again. It was exhausting. I became perpetually curious: Are we going to have to move again soon? How much is he enjoying his current job?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get to the bottom of this, I asked my dad one question every day when he would come home from work:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cHow\u2019s work\u00a0going?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019d often say the same thing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what he\u2019d say<\/em>\u2026 But soon enough we would pack up and move yet again. Clearly, things were not \u201cfine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was the first time I observed the disconnect between what we say <\/em>and how we actually feel\u200a\u2014\u200a<\/em>especially in regards to how we feel about our work.This observation stuck with me for a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years later, after starting my first company when I was 22, I decided to take some time off and go work for someone else. I landed at an early stage e-commerce company right outside Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d been at this e-commerce company for about a year-and-a-half as an employee. One day, I was coming home on the train and I started to reflect on if I was liking my job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember asking myself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cHow\u2019s work\u00a0going?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And at the time, I recall thinking to myself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I laughed. What a familiar situation I\u2019d found myself in. Here I was saying the word \u201cfine\u201d the same way my dad said it to me years earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like my dad, things at my job weren\u2019t \u201cfine\u201d at all. I was frustrated with feeling like I couldn\u2019t speak up at work. I felt stifled as an employee, even in such a small company. I was deeply unsatisfied with my job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things were not \u201cfine\u201d even though I was saying they were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I ended up quitting that job to start my own consulting practice helping other employees not feel \u201cfine\u201d about their work. This journey<\/a> eventually led me to become the CEO of Canopy<\/a>\u00a0in January 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I pay close attention when people use the word, \u201cfine.\u201d Whether I\u2019m asking an employee questions during a one-on-one, or I\u2019m asking a client how things are going, I keenly listen for the word \u201cfine\u201d in her or his response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To me, \u201cfine\u201d is the ultimate indicator of apathy and discontent. \u201cFine\u201d means a standard is barely being met. \u201cFine\u201d means there\u2019s the potential for something to be better. \u201cFine\u201d means there\u2019s more to learn and dig into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFine\u201d never means \u201cthings are fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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