core sector communique

THE BURDEN OF DEVELOPING WORK ETHIC

FALLS ON THE SHOULDERS OF TODAY’S LEADERS AND MANAGERS

Business Leaders Can No Longer Hope That Parents And Teachers

Will Assume The Responsibility For Instilling Work Ethic

Are employees texting while waiting on customers, dressing in a manner considered less than office-inappropriate, arriving late, leaving early? Do they materialize at their job interviews expecting a six-figure salary just for showing up?

“Leaders can no longer stand by idly in hopes that parents and teachers will resume the responsibility for instilling work ethic. Parents now focus most of their attention on ensuring that their kids are healthy, happy, and have high self-esteem. Meanwhile schools, facing widespread criticism and massive cutbacks, are concentrating every available resource on increasing test scores and keeping students safe,” says Eric Chester, management consultant, generational workplace expert, and author of the new book, REVIVING WORK ETHIC: A Leader’s Guide To Ending Entitlement And Restoring Pride In The Emerging Workforce.

Workers tend to fall into one of four quadrants: the Idle Quadrant, those employees who don’t understand work ethic; the Lucky Quadrant, those employees who may actually fall into the Idle Quadrant but through luck, show up on time or appear reliable; the Cheating Quadrant, those employees who know what they are supposed to do but choose not to; and the Valued Quadrant, those workers who have a clear knowledge of what they are supposed to do and do it, and possess work ethic values that make employers proud.

So how do businesses move employees to the Valued Quadrant? In REVIVING WORK ETHIC, Chester offers five strategies for doing just that: find your style, develop trust, value tact and timing, tell stories, and cast a vision.

In addition, Chester identifies the seven Work Ethic Markers that are most important in a successful employee. Drawing parallels from lessons taught universally to children (smile and play nice, be prompt, look your best, do your best, obey the rules, tell the truth, say please and thank you), the markers are: positive attitude, reliability, professionalism, initiative, respect, integrity, and gratitude. He asserts that there are no negotiable items in this list. “Work ethic,” he says, “is knowing what to do, and doing it.”

Pointing out that books such as First, Break All The Rules and The 4-Hour Workweek create a false expectation for the emerging workforce, REVIVING WORK ETHIC lays the groundwork for leaders and managers to create the workforce they need and want. From how to conduct interviews with potential employees that include questions where the answers will indicate work ethic, to how to instill and develop work ethic, Chester draws on years of experience, research, case studies, and anecdotes, to create the ultimate handbook for leading and managing the emerging workforce.

About The Author

Eric Chester is founder and CEO of Reviving Work Ethic  a speaking, consulting, and training firm dedicated to helping leaders end entitlement and restore pride in the emerging workforce. With work ethic being a primary concern for today’s employers, Chester is a sought after expert by CEOs and media outlets. He is also founder and CEO of The Bring Your A Game To Work Initiative, a comprehensive work ethic training and certification program for teens and young adults. Chester resides in Colorado with his family.