I'm constantly amazed after a speech when people come up and tell me they've had someone on payroll for five, six, eight years and they aren't cutting it. "But they're so nice."  It's about the work.

Forget the personal traits. Heck, I had a guy who I had nothing in common with, the only reason we continued to work together is he got the sales. At full price. To 70% of the people he spoke to. With a smile and a repeat base we were all jealous of. Because of that, we could talk about business, how to do the sale better, what the next trend would be, how to close a hard sale. That's what consumed his mind when he was on the clock.

He had moved out from Arkansas to southern California. He couldn't find construction work and was sleeping in a gal's back office at night; one step up from when he was sleeping on the street. He had used that address on my application.  He'd shower at the YMCA and walk to the mall.  He'd do his laundry at the local laundromat - he never looked out of place. He did this for about a month until he could afford an apartment.  I never knew until much later, he was strictly business.  It could have been easy to take his hard-luck story and make excuses if he hadn't been able to sell. Could that be your crew?

My message today, in the wake of such an icon as Michael Jackson passing is to remember the work. His work; leave the personality out of it.  Is your employees' performance memorable? Is yours?