Stop. Think. Do.

Every job is what you make of it.

I love vagaries like that. They are sufficient pedantic axioms that provide inspiration to those who already believe in themselves, and what they can accomplish.

You can do whatever you put your mind to.

It is like you are standing on the cusp of learning a great truth, but it fails to deliver. Great truths are earned in your sweat, sore muscles, and with time spent in sincere pursuit. What does that mean to us, as motel managers? What does it mean to us as the masses? The worker. The laborer. The unhappy employee? Everything, and I will tell you why.

Every job is what you make of it. The power word here is "choose." You choose how you want to feel about it. You choose whether or not you are going to learn to do the job well, and truly make a difference in your company. You choose whether your job is an everyday position, or something substantial. Your choices dictate whether you are excellent, and satisfied with your job, or whether you dream of something better.

There is a simple idea out there that few people are able to grasp because they have always gone to the boss with every concern. It is called "taking ownership."

What does it mean to take ownership? It means that you treat the job, and you treat the place, you treat the customers, the partners, the contractors, and those invested, like they are yours. Owners, executives, managers, and supervisors love that in an employee. When they take ownership they are saying that they care about the welfare of the company, and more specifically, the position. Those who take ownership, apply themselves because it is the effective thing to do.

When I sold cars, I sat on my duff for three months wondering what it was I was supposed to do. I made enough sales to cover my salary, but I really wasn't making any money.

I made a realization then - maybe I should learn how to sell. So I did something I had never done in a job before (or at least not to my recollection), I applied myself. I began to learn the intricacies of salesmanship, relationship building, product knowledge, and making goals. Suddenly that suffocating car dealership became the base for building incredible opportunities. I had learned one of life's greatest lessons by applying myself to becoming a better salesman. It has proved invaluable in all of my ensuing positions.

The job is what you choose it to be. As motel managers there are times when you want to throw your hands up, lock the doors, turn off the Open sign, and just let the day finish with no new business. There are times when there are too many things to do. Working 24/7 there comes a time when you feel like you cannot get up and go shampoo that carpet, or paint that shower, or fix that hot water issue, or follow up on your maid's rooms before she leaves for the day.

But at the head of all those impulses is the burning question - "What do I want my motel to say to the public?"

Do I want it to say any myriad of negative things? If people do not voice a complaint, it does not mean that they had none. When they walk into your rooms, what do they look for? I heard an interesting tool for reference once. A woman says she walks into a motel room and asks herself, "Would I be okay if my two toddlers went everywhere in this room? Or is there something I need to keep them away from?" Fascinating.

Using that exact perspective I began an overhaul of my maid's routines. I applied myself to the position, and I took ownership. Suddenly this motel was not a business I was managing - it was mine. I cannot say the problems were not my responsibility. Utilizing the cutting costs, and raising prices mistake that business owners tend to make, I spent most of the first year slashing the maid's routine, controlling their hours, and drowning in ownership complaints of a payroll that seemed to be too high. The consequences took a few months to manifest. I began a deep clean of each room in January.

What I discovered that had gone unchecked by the girls made me cringe. To save time they had refined their routine to a minimum clean of only the necessities. As a result there were cobwebs, there were stains on the walls, the doors were filthy on the inside, the windows were dingy, the window sills . . . fly graveyard, anyone?

I took a proactive approach with them because I understood in that moment that I was in charge. Seems silly, but remember you are dealing with a rookie manager here. I still have many lessons to learn. Without sparing feelings, or playing politics, I told them they had been doing a substandard job, then told them why, then offered them to give their feedback. They complied, and I learned a lot that day.

It all went back to cutting costs. The poorly cleaned rooms were a result of my poor management decisions regarding payroll.

I expanded their routine from that day on. First, they were to check the ceilings. Then they were to check the walls. Third, they had to check the bathroom (particularly the shower and bath), then they were to check the floors. After they had obtained a list of jobs on every one of those surfaces, they would attack those jobs. Then they could go in and do their routine. Finally, I wanted spotless floors before they locked the room. It has been two months since the changes were implemented.

The difference is so incredible I cannot tell you how valuable that extra five to ten minutes is to this business.

In return for their cooperation I made a promise. I told them that I was proactively changing my attitude at the front desk, and in dealing with the customer.

This is where a valuable lesson presented itself. It used to be that I held a belief that work got in the way of life. I would become agitated, and worked up as I rushed to complete whatever task came up. Let us say I had a running toilet, or a heater was not working. That was in the way of life. I would rush to it in a flurry of irritation, get it done, and shake my head at what a pain this property is. Then I would get back to life.

I did not like that about myself. I sought to change it. But how? First, I observed what I was doing. I would get flabbergasted, then irritated. Then, I would try to complete the task at just under the speed of light. Finally, I would wear my agitation, irritation, and anger on my sleeve. The result? Customers were not sure whether I was angry with the task, or with them.

I decided step one was slow it down. Do not rush through it. Stop. Think. Do. The difference that has made is incredible. I began to apply it to other parts of the job. I discovered a huge reservoir of patience I had been neglecting. It stretched itself out upon my life, and suddenly I realized: work is life. Life is work. Work was not getting in the way of life, it was life!

I began implementing Stop. Think. Do. into my transactions. The result has been the dream transactions where the customer is so pleased with the experience that they are not fazed by the price. They feel they are getting value because they know a good man is at their service.

I began implementing Stop. Think. Do. with my family. The result has been incredible. My eldest son (3) appreciates Dad's new patience. My wife is more pleased with my attitude, and with the satisfaction I am taking from my work.

Stop. Think. Do. has helped me be prepared. I have been able to actively maintain several blogs, write for a pop culture website I enjoy, draw, read frequently throughout the day, and study. It has allowed my schoolwork to increase in quality. Suddenly work of all kinds seem to be getting done at an exponential rate. As a result I am excited to see the summer come, rather than dreading it.

I have learned to take my time. I have made the job something of a school in the ways of life, and management. I have put my mind to doing it well, and continue to achieve from day to day.