Whatever you do, do it well.
I am immediately drawn to people who model and encourage equality and respect. I believe it comes from my early life, raised by my blue collar, hardworking, extremely intelligent and caring ‘Daddy’. I remember being told sternly on more than one occasion, “No one is better than you and you are not better than anyone else. Do your best and help others do the same.” Then he would embrace me in his big bear hug and warm smile! Apparently, I’m not the only one whose ‘daddy’ provided great words to live by…
Toni Morrison (American novelist, editor and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature) once told a story about coming home after a hard day cleaning someone else’s house. She was frustrated and embarrassed. She wanted her father to sympathize or maybe even to get angry with her. But instead, he gave her a lesson she carried for the rest of her life.
Toni Morrison, the first African American woman to win a Nobel Prize, wrote some of the most important novels of the 20th century. Photo Credit - The Rolling Stone
“Listen,” he said. “You don’t live there. You live here. With your people. Go to work. Get your money. And come on home.”
From that simple piece of advice, Morrison built a set of principles to live by:
Whatever the work is, do it well—not for the boss but for yourself.
You make the job; it doesn’t make you.
Your real life is with us, your family.
You are not the work you do; you are the person you are.
This is a profound message. What’s in our control is how we show up. What’s in our control is who we are while we do the work. Whether the job is glamorous or low, whether others recognize it or not, whether the project succeeds or fails, that’s outside our control.
Our dignity doesn’t come from titles, paychecks, or praise, but from our conduct and our choices.
So, whatever you do, washing dishes, leading a team, running errands, closing a deal, do it well. Not because of who is watching, not because of what it says on your business card, but because it reflects who you are.
The work doesn’t define you. Your character does.
If I were to sum up the lessons I learned from my father and have proven to be most helpful in my professional and personal life, I’d say ‘we can be better together when we value and care about and for each other.”
When we value and care for one another, we create space to be better together and that is the essence of Leading by Feel, a customized leadership program designed to strengthen emotional intelligence in supervisors and managers. By expanding empathy, improving decision-making, building trust, and increasing influence, Leading by Feel equips leaders to guide with authenticity, connection, and purpose. Learn more here as our next session date will be November 12 from 8:30am-10:30am.