Work Values So Retro, They’re Cool

By Joanne Fritz
I’ve been intrigued by the CBS TV show this season, Undercover Boss. CEOs of big companies lightly disguise themselves and go to work in the trenches with their employees. A camera follows them around under the cover of filming a documentary about new employees on the job.

Inevitably, these bosses (they have included the CEOs of a national sanitation company and a large convenience store chain) learn that their employees have a lot to teach them, and that the jobs they manage from above are a lot harder than expected. It is a heartwarming celebration of the rewards of hard work and the enduring ability of so many people to bring enthusiasm to the most menial and tedious of jobs.

I was reminded of the TV series when I read the Time Magazine review of a new book, Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive, by Erik Wesner. It seems that the failure rate of Amish businesses is less than 10% in the first five years. That compares with 50% of small businesses in the U.S. that fail over the same time period.

Wesner thinks that the success of the Amish, despite the lack of most modern conveniences such as the Internet, has to do with attributes such as:

Amish business owners have a close relationship with their employees, often saying, “I’d never ask an employee to do something that I wouldn’t be willing to do myself.” They frequently jump in and do the dirty work, which, Wesner says, “…helps align their interests with yours.”

The Amish provide superior craftsmanship that goes back to an earlier era. Thankfully, that quality is still desired by consumers and other businesses. Two Amish brothers manufacture luxury leather goods for Ralph Lauren out of their barn in Pa.

The Amish have a rigorous work ethic, no matter how tedious the task. Working close to home and with family helps a lot too.

The Amish are also flexible enough to work outside their own environment, when necessary. One Amish businessman owns two businesses in Philadelphia, a 55-mile commute from his farm where he gets up extra early to feed the horses. He moves easily between the urban and rural worlds.

What do Undercover Boss and the Amish have to do with running or working in a nonprofit? A lot actually. I loved Wesner’s comment that the Amish “don’t need an M.B.A. to run an effective business….There’s life in commerce for those more dedicated to the Golden Rule than the Golden calf.”

Nonprofit managers and employees would do well to take the lessons of personal responsibility, hard work, and a cheerful attitude to heart. After all, they really do engage in work that matters.

Source: About.com - Joanne Fritz