Why "Do Your Job" is not enough

Football fans everywhere know the successes of Bill Belichick, Head Coach of the New England Patriots. They also know he’s famous for the mantra “Do Your Job!” And while many (most?) Cleveland Browns’ fans have little love for Coach Belichick, he does a good job at setting expectations for his players and holding them accountable for meeting those expectations.

But Coach Belichick also has a lot of detractors. For instance, former Patriot player Cassius Marsh spoke poorly of his time employed by the Patriots, saying “they don’t have a lot of fun there.” Coach’s response? “"We feel what's important to us is to win," he told reporters. "So that's really what we're trying to do." In other words, to paraphrase Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own (an mix sports references), “There’s no fun in football!”.

How do you think a strict “Do Your Job” approach would work at your business? More likely than not, it would not be a long-term success.

But here’s the secret to making it work: Gratitude. According to a survey done by the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkley, almost every respondent indicated that saying “thank you” to co-worker and colleagues make people happier and more fulfilled. The concept of “Your paycheck is your ‘thank you’” just doesn’t cut it.

Go practice now. Say thank you to an employee. Say thank you to a peer. And encourage them to do the same to others. And watch how much better everyone is at “Doing their Jobs.”