From the ground up
You all know it and I freely admit it — I watch way too much TV. I particularly like cooking and home improvement reality shows. And I can usually find a lesson to be learned in each one I watch.
But I particularly enjoyed the first episode of Debbie Travis’ new program called From the Ground Up on FineLiving. She has gathered 14 young people from around Canada who are at a career crossroads — a waitress, an unemployed expectant father (22 years old!), an attorney, a marketing executive, a few others who are unemployed and a few other professions. The group is helping build a house (from the ground up). I’ve only seen one episode and I’ve already seen:
- A diva who doesn’t really want to work hard.
- That same diva who doesn’t take responsibility for his mistakes.
- A young woman who has a history of quitting, quit laying a floor.
- A few appointed as team leaders who failed at leadership.
- A few followers who failed at team work.
The point of the game is to determine whether or not these young people…
- have a good work ethic,
- will work very hard,
- are willing to get their hands dirty and pay their dues,
- have the skills and perseverance to survive in construction.
The main message so far is one I talk about all the time — it’s not just the job specific skills (and in this case it’s craftsmanship) that are required. You also need the work ethic, leadership, teamwork, etc., to succeed. Very interesting and filled with lessons for anyone who is now or ever will be looking for any kind of work.
Check it out. I plan to stay tuned.
