Recently I was talking to someone about the type of employee they thought they were. This person said they thought they were a good employee overall. They had been with the company for a long time, and did their work to the best of their ability. If they were asked to perform extra tasks or projects they enjoyed being given the authority to make them their own and allowed to add their input into them to make the project successful. The same employee was asked to show us an employee at the other end of the spectrum. Another employee was pointed out that may be considered a bad employee. It was stated that this employee had been with the company even longer. They had been satisfied with staying at the same level of position that they had in the beginning doing the same job. They refused to take on extra work and performed just enough duties to keep their job. This employee had now become negative over time and was now starting to spread a negative message though the company. 

The first employee may be viewed as a flower. They continue to grow and perform because they enjoy their job and are given the opportunity to take ownership of the tasks when given special projects. The projects are like water that help an employee grow. If you allow a whole team of these types of people to grow in this fashion you will have a healthy organization with people that are able to make good decisions and contribute to the overall success of the business.
On the other hand, the other employee has stopped learning and growing a long time ago. Although weeds grow without any help they don’t usually thrive because they are always being removed or cut down. When a weed does grow it contaminates the area where it grows and can turn a nice area ugly. The same thing happens with a negative employee in the workplace. They are unhappy with their position so they become negative. They stop growing and moving within their career. The only thing that grows is the negative message that usually starts to grow through the team causing disruption in the workplace.

The scenarios outlined above could be any company as this happens around the world. You may think because I am talking about flowers and weeds that it could not possibly be a transportation business. The truth is that these are true scenarios based on a trucking company and that’s why it is important for you as a driver to keep growing in your job. If you see people that are growing personally and growing in their jobs they are generally happy. They are growing through extra projects, training, or through personal endeavours. Those that aren’t growing you will notice feel negative about their positions and career in general and will grow more negative over time. So I ask you; are you the flower or the weed of your organization? The best way to stay healthy in your career is to keep growing in your position by trying new things or taking additional training to keep you fresh. Negativity usually grows through boredom. Knowing you are becoming bored in your position is the first mark that you are becoming the weed and that means time for a change somewhere in your life.
 

About the Author
Bruce Outridge has been in the transportation industry for over 30 years and is author of the books Driven to Drive, Running by the Mile, and host of The Lead Pedal Podcast. Challenger Motor Freight Inc. is one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies (platinum member) and is looking for quality team members. To learn more about opportunities with Challenger visit their website at www.challenger.com