Entitlement

Wiki says:  In a casual sense, the term "entitlement" refers to a notion or belief that one (or oneself) is deserving of some particular reward or benefit — if given without deeper legal or principled cause, the term is often given with pejorative connotation (e.g. a "sense of entitlement").

Ok, that's some fancy talk.  I read that word some where, and we were talking today about how younger generations at my BigBox store have different ideas -  "not my job"  comes to mind, but in reality in a work environment, we should all be 'on the same page' .. 'working toward the same goal'.  Are the GenXers so focused on themselves, and "now", that they don't see themselves as part of a bigger team to reach goals?

My BigBox store gives out bonuses based on a store's performance, all of which is dictated in terms of sales, profitability and customer service.  And every employee, no matter how hard or how little they work at getting this bonus, all share in the spoils.  And it seems to me there's a sense that they don't care to give 110% in order to get this bonus every time its offered (I believe the max is around $550 for a three month period.)  I'm not motivated by money, but job satisfaction.  And that's a good measure of how successful I've been in doing my part.  (Now that I read back, perhaps this is all about pride as well.)

Today, we celebrated at work as our bonus payout came on today's paycheck.  It was a very nice chunk of spending money - they even brought in lunch to help celebrate.  Its not something they have to do, they just appreciated our efforts. We're not entitled to it -- it's offered.

But back to entitlement, I suppose some people in every generation, in all walks of life, feel like they have some kind of entitlement -- whether they care about doing a good job or not.  Which reminds me of Elvis.  Because of some work related issues in the past, he feels he hasn't been given the proper opportunities to advance up the corporate ladder.  *blink*blink*blink*  Funny, but it seems to me that if you want those opportunities to come your way, you have to work towards them, and earn them.  That's right - EARN them.  Prove your worth, go above and beyond.  Work smarter, not harder, in doing your current tasks and assignments; learn things that are "not my job" so when opportunities come your way, you can grab for the brass ring!  Opportunities are not an entitlement.  To my way of thinking, if you're asked to do something outside your job, and you're wanting to advance, you have to do that new task efficiently, along with completing your own tasks for the "yes, its your job" part as well!  

Nothing worthwhile comes easily. 

Work, continuous work and hard work, 

is the only way to accomplish results that last.

-Hamilton Holt