4 Types of Work Ethic

Proverbs 10:4 – He becometh poor that dealeth [with] a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
Proverbs 13:4 – The soul of the sluggard desireth, and [hath] nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

Work is a big part of life…
work |wərk|noun

  1. activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result
  2. mental or physical activity as a means of earning income; employment
  3. a task or tasks to be undertaken; something a person or thing has to do: 

There are four different types of workers: 
“A” worker-sees what needs to be done and does it
“B” worker-asks for work “What can I do next?”
“C” worker-has to be told to work
“D” worker-avoids work

I will be having a 4 part teaching on Work Ethic
Today we will focus on the first type.

The “A” worker…
I like to use “A” because “A” is the first place winner.  The highest grade.  The first letter in the alphabet.

  • The “A” worker does not have to be told what to do.  They have the ability to see what needs to be done and they take the initiative to get the job done.  They finish every task until it is complete.  If an “A” worker is walking in a parking lot, you will see them reach down to pick up a piece of trash that they find on the ground.  This type of person is not put off by the fact that someone else was lazy enough to leave it there, they just see that it needs to be picked up.  
  • The “A” worker will look around a room and see things out of place and they will take the few seconds to set things right.  Whether it be a decorative pillow laying on the floor, or a pencil sitting on the table, the “A” worker will see to it that things are put where they belong.  
  • “A” workers do not leave a trail behind them.  After they are finished eating, they will make sure to pick up their plate and fork, rinse it off and clean up any mess that was made by them.  They would be horrified to have someone clean up after them.  What an embarrassment.  
  • This inventive “A” worker does not need to be told to work.  They find work.  They would sooner die than have someone ever tell them what they should have done or how to do the work better.  These are your CEOs of companies, your entrepreneurs, and inventors.  They make things better.  If there is a problem, they will figure out a way to fix the problems.
  • All the other types of workers pay the “A” worker.   They never lack for work because they see the needs of others.  They make a difference in society by taking action.  They are not bench warmers in church, they are actively helping minister to others with the gospel, cleaning the church, or doing what ever needs doing.  The “A” worker usually makes enough money to be more giving in the ministry.  

It can be built into certain personalities but it can be a learned behavior.

The “A” worker is the most desired class of working.  It is also the most rare.

How do you train yourself to be an “A” worker?
If you desire to be an “A” worker, you must learn the art of noticing.  You must notice things that are out of place, things that are left undone, or seeing a need in every situation because you are seeking it out.  We do not see what needs to be done when we are not looking for it.  Have you ever seen a “Seek and Find” picture?  It is a picture where you have to find the things that do not belong.  You stare at the picture and look for things.  This is a way to train you to notice the things that are out of place.  If you did not have the instruction to look for things, you would just see a pretty picture and miss all the many things that were not right.

Step One:  When you go into a room, you can practice by scanning your eyes around the room and finding 10 things that do not belong.  It could be a dust ball under a chair, a cob web, a coin, a pencil, a string, or a speck of dirt on the floor.
Step Two:  After you find these things, you simply pick them up and return them to the place where they belong.  It is that simple.

  • If you see a sink full of dishes, get over to the sink and begin washing them! 
  • If the trash is overflowing, take the trash out!
  • If there is an elderly lady struggling to put her groceries into her car, get over there and lend her a hand!


How do you make money being an “A” worker?

Figure out a service that every person needs: (House cleaning, washing cars, picking up dog poop, washing windows, cleaning gutters out, mowing grass, pulling weeds, walking dogs, or watching other people’s children)
If an “A” worker wants a job bad enough, they will actually approach the head of a company who already refused them and say, “Can I work for you for free for several months to prove to you that I am worthy of your hire?”

How can an employer resist that type of offer.  They see initiative and drive.  If that person works their tail off and never arrives to work late, the employer will see their value and hire that person after a short time.  They would be a fool not to.  If the worker continues to work hard and if they go above and beyond the call of duty doing things that help the company, they will be valued even more.  In no time, that person will be helping run the company.

The Dog Kennel…
My parents owned and operated a dog kennel.  When I was 10 years old I began learning the trade.  My dad would wake me around 5 am each morning to help him let all the dogs out.  We would have a kennel full of other people’s dogs.  They would drop off their dogs and give us instruction as to how we should care for it.  I loved dogs so much that I would spend time walking the dog, playing with the dog, and sometimes I would take the dogs into my home if they seemed calm enough.  I went way beyond the call of duty.

If my dad would wake before me, he would come into my room and sigh, “I guess I will run the dogs by myself.”  Oh, how I hated for my dad to have to run the dogs by himself!  It wasn’t long before I would hear the creak of his footsteps up the stairs to wake me and I would pop out of bed and meet him at my door telling him that I will be right down.  The smile on my dad’s face was precious to me.  When I was in the kennel I would not only feed and water the dogs, I would vacuum and mop the floor each time so it looked perfectly clean.  That way if one of my customers would come, I could give them a tour and not be embarrassed ever!  My dad would smell the kennel and say, “It smells like a hospital down here.”  I loved those words.  It made me feel valued as a helper.  After the dogs were in, I would pick up all the poop in the runs outside and spray the pee off with the hose so our kennel did not stink.

I made 25¢ per dog each running and I ran the dogs four times each day.  If there were 30 dogs in one day, I would make $7.50 per running which equalled, $30 a day.  That was a lot of money for a 10-12 year old.  When the customers would pick up their dogs, I would tell them how much fun I had with their dog, walking it and playing with it.  They would give me a tip!  I would hate taking the tip, so I would put it in the till for my dad.  That is just how I was.  To this day, I have a hard time taking money from people.  I just love helping out!

Homesteading is a great way to train “A” workers.  Not everyone can grow up at a dog kennel like I did.  Watching my dad work with dogs and being a businessman, prepared me for success all throughout my life. I ran several of my own businesses and did very well.

Poop Patrol…
Poop Patrol was the name of a business in the area I grew up.  This young guy figured people had dogs who did not take the time to clean up outside after the dogs.  Maybe he saw the need when he visited someone and stepped in one of these land mines.  He would go door to door and ask people if they would pay him $10 to pick up all the dog poop in their yard.  I had enough experience picking up dog poop to know that it is not a hard job and it takes only a few minutes of your time.  After the first year, this guy had a whole crew working for him with trucks passing by in the neighborhood.  All the trucks had signs on them. What a great idea and an easy way to make money.  If a person has a crew and can afford trucks, you know they are literally scooping in the money!!  Later signs were out for the same service.  Other people in Wisconsin wanted a piece of that success…

Picture

The reason for his success is because he was an “A”worker. He saw a need and created a business to fulfill that need.  There are plenty of needs out there, you just need to notice them.

How do you train a 2 year old to be an “A” worker?
You start by training them to pick up after themselves as early as they can pick up things in their little hands.  If they drop a toy on the ground, you should show them the toy and make a game of picking it back up.  I used to create work for my little ones.  I would spend hours playing the work game.  We would sprinkle critters, (little pieces of dirt and garbage), on the floor and I would have them sweep them into a little dust pan.  I would say, “Oops, you missed that little critter over there.  He is going to be lonesome over there all by himself, so we better sweep him up.”  This was great fun for the toddler.  They would find each little critter and it was training them for the rest of their lives to notice the little things.  If they could finish getting every little speck, they will transfer that technique to every area of their lives.  When they start a job, they will finish it.  They will do a thorough job every time. If you are consistent in your training, your child will be an “A” worker.

Let the child help with all of your work. It may take longer, but they need to learn from you!

Let them help wash dishes.  Give them a rag to fold.  Let them wash the wall with a baby wipe.  Give them stuff to do that is productive yet playful.  Work will be a part of normal everyday life.  They will not think it strange when you ask them to help you later in life.  They will be geared for helping.

My husband said he was not an “A” worker at all when he was growing up.  He said he was even lazy when we first got married.  It wasn’t until he had to provide for our family and take on that responsibility that he started training himself to be a better worker.  Sometimes people learn out of necessity.  If they do not work, they will not have money to pay for the needs that come with living expenses.

Megan learned to be an “A” worker.  Here is a short video of her when she was only 4 years old.  She actually has it all figured out at her young age…

It is that easy.  I ask her on the video, “How do you clean the house?”
Megan gives the perfect answer, “I just do it.”

Megan is still my little “A” worker.  She loves helping me cook and clean.  We still work together!

Tune in for the next few weeks on Tuesday if you would like to learn about the other types of Work Ethic.  Next Tuesday I will teach about the “B” worker.

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12 thoughts on “4 Types of Work Ethic”

  1. Lesley Monroe

    I loved reading this. I am a Sgt. in a jail and have been trying to figure out how to help some of my officers with their work ethic. This encourages me to speak to them and to use some of the ways you explain this. Thank you.

  2. When the kids were little we started training them like this, but followed some bad advice (and got a little bit lazy too) and stopped. Now the kids are in their pre-teen years and, while I’ve been trying to re-instill this in them for the last few years, it has not been going well. Part of the problem may be that I’m an A worker, so the moment I see something that needs to be done I do it, but then it’s done and there’s no training opportunity with the kids. Unfortunately, while both kids loved helping when they were little, now it inspires groans or speedy, sloppily done work. Do you have any suggestions for how I can train them (again) at this age?

    1. Erin @ Keeper of the Homestead

      If you click on my pinterest icon on the side bar, it will take you to my pinterest page. I have this on one of my boards already posted and you would be most welcome to repin it for me! Thanks so much and I am so very glad you enjoyed it!

  3. What a great article! I’m going to read it to my kids tomorrow. It’s something we ALL need to hear! Looking forward to the series. 🙂

  4. I LOVE Megan’s answers. I have a few A workers here myself, it took a lot of patience and training but now they simply do what needs to be done (most of the time since they may be my angels but they’re NOT angels all the time).

  5. Larissa Dunnagan

    Most amazing article ever! Thank you for putting into words what I could not. This is my heartbeat as well and I love what you write! I have raised my son (who just turned 5) to be an A worker and he is such a blessing. He is my best helper and he knows it. He loves helping me with everything I do.

  6. This was a great post. My husband and I sat down and read it with the kids. The Poop patrol part was so perfect as they were out in the sled dog yard doing what we have always called poop patrol. We asked them after reading what kind of worker they want to be. They all said an A worker. By the way they get $5 Mom bucks per 5 gal bucket of dog poop.

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