Inspiration from the Everyday Workingman

When I was still in grade school, I began working for my Dad.  He had both a painting company and an antique store, and I worked in both.  He had once worked for his Dad as a painter too, and passed along words of wisdom in a way I am sure is repeated millions of times by many other working families.

One day, while painting a house that had some prickly bushes in front of the basement windows, I had taken a shortcut.  I just pushed aside the branches, and without prepping the window at all, I slapped paint on quickly - effectively painting on dirt, pine-needles, and other debris to the window frame. 

I rationalized that no one would ever see the basement window, so the quality didn't matter as much as the windows that were visible.  I added that the homeowner would probably never bother to look either. 

My Dad stopped me, and told me that I needed to clean off the window first, and then use a tarp cloth (at least that is what we called canvas painting tarps) to hold the bush back from the window while I painted.  It wasn't about the rationalizations I had made, but more a principled point about doing things right.

That's the first time I heard the words passed down from my Grandfather: "Any job, big or small, do it right, or not at all."

It's one of those things that sticks in your head - and not just for the fact that it rhymed or that it poetic rhythm.  It simply made sense.  If you are going to bother to do something, do it right the first time - even if no one is looking, or will ever inspect the work.

Last year, when Capt. Sullenberger landed a jet on the Hudson river after a catastrophic collision with some geese stopping both engines, I was not only impressed with what he did, but how every other person involved put aside all else and did exactly what they needed to do in order to save all those lives.  There were people at air traffic control, ferry operators, and many other first responders who came together within minutes to do precisely what was necessary to save the passengers.

In the interviews that followed, what impressed me the most about Capt. Sullenberger was the fact that he didn't really think he did anything heroic.  He simply applied decades of study and experience to a situation, and executed his plan flawlessly.  He just did his job. 

It's not surprising that even after a year of investigating and researching the incident, we find that it really wasn't a "miracle" on the Hudson at all.  In fact, we find that while it can be argued that the plane was not fitted with the necessary safety equipment that could have undermined their efforts, they did the best they could with what they had.  And, had it not been for the ferry operators being trained and ready to react to this situation, the safe landing could have been all for naught, as the survivors succumbed to the numbing waters of the river - without enough life vests.   

So, as I am watching the events unfold regarding the 5/1/10 attempted car-bombing in Times Square, I am struck by the same sense of awe and appreciation for professionals that came together to actually catch a criminal about to get out of the country on a plane.  Certainly, there is room for improvement, as has been noted in the media.  But, without a doubt, many people, both law enforcement and civilians, came together in a professional manner to "connect the dots" in real-time to take action to catch the guy literally fleeing the country.

I think that we under-appreciate those that never get adorned with the title of "hero", but whose dedication to doing whatever job right, big or small, results in a collective heroic action.  Since the media are not going to elevate these persons to that status, or put them in the favorable spotlight they deserve, it's appropriate for those of us who recognize their efforts to reach out and say "thank you" for a job well done. 

I truly believe that when we look back on this time in history, it's individuals like this who will turn out to be the collective inspiration for those of us who don't need the promise of a gold star or being in the limelight to be professional, and take their job seriously.  It doesn't matter whether the work we do goes unseen, we should do our best 100% of the time, regardless.  This, more than anything, is how we recover from a blow to our economy and our confidence that makes some of us doubt our future and our potential.  This is how we regain what was lost, and achieve things we previously thought were impossible.