If you loved your job...?

Question

I am a firefighter with a private engine company. At the end of each fire we are given a crew preformance evaluation by our supervisors. My partner and I have always got excellant ratings , for the past 15 years. We pride ourselves in being the best. And we take it very seriously. Especially because our credntials and qualifications are based substantually on these evals. Lately the agencys are changing the way they give the ratings. And are encouraging supervisors not to give excellants so often. Based on the explanation of some of these evaluators I have realized that we are getting satisfactory ratings recently because they are either giving lower ratings at random, or just giving satisfactorys to all, without thought or real awareness. Any way my question is , if you pride your self on doing great and then all who see begin to label you as average when you are way above that, would you still strive for excellance, or conform to be average because it seems to matters not?

Answer 1

You raise an interesting topic. I do belive you will start to lag. For and example in Canada they have health care provided for you. Anytime you need to go, you just go to the hospital. In america you pay out of pocket or with insurance. Some Doctor's cost more than others here. Now take a brain surgen will give him a name, Dr. X.
Dr.X in america;
Dr.X works for a practice and does very well, he ends up being the best in his feild. He moves on to own his own practice and is the most sot after. He makes big buck and knows he is making a diferance due to his sucses. He works with others whom care about how well they do and get raises due to their preformances.
Dr.X in canada;
Dr.X gets a job working for a hospital. His peers and staff all get paid due too their acumalative years. Dr.X never goes to get his own practice because he makes the same from the govenment no matter what his history is. He never strives to do his best because he has no one to compete with. He just does his job like every one else.
You see what i meen. I have nothing against Canada! I think it is a beautiful country. I am just using it for an example purpose only. If you have nothing to compete with, you have in return nothing to strive for. This goes for every situation. You can't just do your very best, and feel unapreshiated. Who would pride themselfs in what they do? when they know the next person in line is their equal, when you clearly know you do that particular thing better.

Answer 2

I've come across these dumb, bureaucratic evaluations before (in my industry; I'm not a firefighter!). Your supervisor likely thinks its a waste of time, so he gives everyone an "excellent" unless there's an egregious violation. These excellents have pumped up your ego about how good you do your job. Now you're getting satisfactory's, perhaps you are just doing a satisfactory job. Can you honestly say that you go above-and-beyond the call of duty each time to warrant an Excellent rating?

I think these rating systems do more harm than good, and don't even provide real information to the bureaucratic plebs who commission them. I recommend you pay no attention to them whatsoever and concentrate instead on doing your job TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY. That's all anyone can ask of you. If you start letting this rating system get to you, it'll drag you down. If your boss isn't giving you a hard time because you're not doing your job properly, then you're doing a damned good job. You're just going to have to pat each other on the back from now on instead of relying on a stupid, meaningless evaluation form to tell you what you already know at heart -- that you're GOOD at what you do!

Alternatively, bring the subject up with whoever evaluates you. Ask him why you got a satisfactory and what his criteria were for choosing that evaluation instead of the Excellent you think you deserve.

Answer 3

A firefighters job has to be well done ALWAYS and everytime as u heroic guys save lives and property. That by itself should give u enough satisfaction and pride. A smile on the face of a parent whose child u have just saved is worth more than a million evals.
So screw the evals - just do your job well and as they say "U cannot keep a good man down ". God Bless all of you.

Answer 4

I genuinely love my job. I tutor 11 2/3 365 days olds @ a daycare. everybody says they had hate to have my job- yet no count how undesirable my existence exterior of artwork gets, those teenagers can constantly placed a grin on my face. And whilst they study some thing new its impressive to computer screen how excited they get.

Answer 5

Yes, I would still strive for excellence regardless of how I'm "rated".

You don't have to lower your standards just because your supervisors have.

Keep doing your absolute best. It'll pay off in the end.

Good luck! : )

Answer 6

The problem is we live in a society today of sissy pants! People want their self esteem elevated without any effort. I believe if YOU are doing a good job, YOU should get a good evaluation. But the guys that are just doing enough to get by will get their feelings hurt if they aren't included in the top tiers

Answer 7

if you would start to love your job then there will be no way you would grow. You need to have some kind of desire to learn new or do some thing involving greater responsibilty. I like my job but still I feel that there is much more in business I can learn and hence grow further.

Answer 8

I love my job, so i shall strive no matter what the grading my superiors give.
To my belief we should not consider the grades before our perfection to work. What little thing we do; do it with love with out aiming for recognition.

Answer 9

Well, if I loved my job, I would aim to be better. If I didn't care for the job, then no I couldn't care less. If I hate my job, I think I just strive to keep it.

Answer 10

I gotta live with me. And I gotta be the best I can be. I gotta pat myself on the back. I'm not doing the work for them.