Alex Hoffer

There is a lot of discussion these days about the “Great Resignation,” the worker’s power, and worker fulfillment. These are good and necessary conversations. That said, in today’s post, I want to make a few points that I think get lost in the conversation. 

What if we are asking work to fulfill something in us it was never intended to fulfill? 

This is a big question, and admittedly, a personal one. I always aim to be transparent in these posts, so I admit that I often struggle with this question. Occasionally, I pull up to work wondering if I even want to be there anymore. Before you judge that statement, consider the challenges facing me — working with siblings in a family business, in an industry that is, quite frankly, under attack, and dealing with all the current economic challenges. My work is hard. And I know your work is too. 

So back to the question: what if the problem is not the situation I am in (or the situation that you’re in) but something deeper? What if we are asking work to fulfill something in us that it was never intended to fulfill? Perhaps, that is why I sometimes pull up to work not wanting to be there. Perhaps, that is why my discontentment finds me at home, on the golf course, and anywhere else I search for meaning and purpose where it was never intended to be found. 

A new term, “quiet quitting,” has entered our lexicon this year, and it is directly relatable to the reality I’m describing. “Quiet quitting” occurs when people quietly quit their job yet still “work” their same job. Yes, that sounds weird. But, it is a real thing. 

On one hand, I think what people are saying is healthy. They’re saying that work is no longer going to be 24/7. They are going to have a life. They are going to stop taking work so seriously. These are not “boundaries,” they are an acceptance of limits — limits God placed on work via the Sabbath, I might add. I celebrate when people realize that life is more than work, especially when those people work with us at Hoffer Plastics! 

On the other hand, the notion of “quitting” and doing less feels like it misses the mark. While I don’t believe people can find their fulfillment in work, doing shoddy work is also harmful. Now before you go to send me an email, realize that I know not everyone “quiet quitting” is going to do shoddy work. But isn’t our human tendency to flip from one extreme to another, or is that just what we do with fad diets? Isn’t in our nature to be “off” or “on” and not something in between?

The Purpose of Work: Contribute Value

I think a more helpful perspective is realizing the work’s purpose. Work is good to the extent it contributes positively to human flourishing. Whether you are an IT person or a Kindergarten teacher is irrelevant. There may be vast differences in what you do, but the overall purpose of your work is similar. The purpose is to contribute something of value. The IT person may spend her time making systems work efficiently for organizations, while the Kindergarten teacher provides five- and six-year-olds with their first seedlings of knowledge and wisdom. Still, both jobs exist to make things better for humans. 

What I am advocating and attempting to practice is to arrive at work every day focused on contributing something of value. That’s it. I know it sounds so simple that it is easy to miss its significance. I can walk the floor and have a meaningful conversation, listen to one of my sisters talk about their daughters, or have a deep conversation with a customer. These are vastly different conversations, but they all can lead to human flourishing when done with purpose. 

And this, I believe, is the purpose of work. 

Next week, I will share more thoughts on what makes work hard for senior executives. But before doing that, I want to close with one last thought on work from a Biblical perspective. 

I mentioned above that the Sabbath was made for man. Regardless of what you think about the creation story, know that God is a God of rest. The Sabbath is a gift more than a rule. It is a gift from God that says he loves you and knows your limits. It is a weekly reminder that success is not up to you and that the demands of the job are not 24/7. You can rest. As I learned when I was in the hospital for a week in 2020, the show goes on without you  — sometimes even more successfully! The point here is that work was never meant to complete you. Only God can do that.

In my previous blog post, I talked about the first lesson I learned as I spent some time reflecting on life during my family’s recent vacation: Do less and do it better. Today, I want to focus on the second lesson I learned: The most valuable to-do on my list is to contemplate.

Lesson 2: Contemplation is the most important thing on my to-do list

The “Information Age” has its tentacles all over modern life. Often, I give into the temptation to engage with more and more (and more!) of it. If I am not careful, every moment is filled with input. 

For example, I recently did an inventory of “inputs” throughout my day. By “inputs,” I mean anything that my mind is engaging with, ranging from learning all the way to entertainment. 

Here is a quick synopsis: 

5 a.m.: Got up / prayer journal / Bible reading 

5:30 a.m.: Listen to leadership podcast 

6: a.m. -7:30 a.m.: Work out / listen to music (don’t worry, I’m not one of those people at the gym — I used my AirPods!) 

7:30-8:00 a.m.: Commute / more podcast or audiobook

8-12: Mostly work, but inputs via email (newsletters, news emails, etc.) 

Lunch: More audiobook time 

1-5 p.m.: Mostly work, inputs via email at times (responses, etc.) 

5 p.m.: Sports radio on home commute 

6:30 p.m.: Listened to audiobook while stretching 

7:15-8 p.m.: watched sports with boys 

8:15-9:30 p.m.: After praying with Sarah, we watched a Mad Men episode 

Are you judging my day right now, or is that just my insecurity? Kidding aside, did you notice how much time I spent in my day I spent on “thinking”? 

Very little! 

Okay, so I thought during those times of work. But still, it was not planned. 

Here is a quote that floored me a few years ago but I have (so far) failed to fully put into practice: 

“We waste our time with short-term thinking and busywork. Warren Buffett spends a year deciding and a day acting. The act lasts decades.” Naval Ravikant

If I’m honest with myself, when I look at the day I described above, it’s clear there was a lot of busy work. Even things like audiobooks — which are not necessarily “good or bad” — can become busy work when I am not careful. 

I have learned that I need to schedule the time to think and be quiet. I know that “scheduling” such a time demonstrates how type-A I am, but I am what I am. If I do not schedule this time, it won’t happen. 

The reward for scheduling the time is that my life will take on more meaning. I will be able to think through what really matters. I will be able to prioritize rather than react. I can even anticipate things, all because I have spent time thinking. 

Perhaps, the most important thing you need to do in the next week is to carve out two hours to be alone. I know that you think you do not have the time, but you too can do less, better. Invest two hours just to be quiet and think. 

I am not guaranteeing that something magical will happen because it does not always happen for me. But I can share that the more time I spend being quiet and thinking, the better my life has become. 

The next post I will write comes from a recent time I spent thinking and reflecting about the vacation we took — the vacation that sparked this post and my previous one. Specifically, I wanted to figure out why I felt reenergized after our out-West vacation but didn’t feel that same rejuvenation after our last beach vacation? 

More on that next time. 

I recently spent some time with my family out west in Montana and Wyoming. We explored places like Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. It was one of the best family vacations we have ever taken. It was also the perfect opportunity to take stock of the year and reflect on many aspects of my life. What follows in this series of posts was born from time spent there. 

Lesson 1: I need to do less but better. 

One temptation I constantly give into is doing more. If I do enough, I feel accomplished. So I push through my natural limits to finish the tough workout when I am tired, write the blog post when I feel uninspired, and coach Little League in the spring. But instead of feeling accomplished, I often feel like a boxer holding on to the ropes, struggling to make it through the round (or, in my case, through the week). One of my go-to jokes is that I have been tired since 2011 — when Will was born — and I wear that joke like a badge of honor. 

The reality is that I do not want to live this way anymore because it is not sustainable.

But doing fewer things better is. 

This forces me to ask hard questions, starting with “What really matters?” 

For me, what matters most is: 

• Jesus: I know this may sound weird, but my relationship with Him is real and life-giving.

• Sarah: There is no human relationship that matters more. 

• Will/Ben/Sadie: I have renewed perspective on how short the time I have left with them living in our house. I will invest here.

• Work: Specifically, relationships. My executive coach has been reminding me of the importance of me building into others. Leadership is the process of doing things with and through other people. So I need to spend the majority of my work time with other people: teammates, customers, and suppliers. Work is human! 

• Everything else 

Before moving on, and in conjunction with lesson 2 (which I’ll talk about next time), I am considering changing the cadence of this blog to every-OTHER-week in 2023. I am considering the change because I want to do less but better. I want to slow down my writing process to put extra thought into what I am sharing. I believe that you, the reader, will win when I do that.

My goal with these posts is still the same: I want to reach and encourage readers on topics around life, leadership, and faith. And reaching one reader is enough; I don’t count success in a number of views, but rather in hearing feedback that a blog post encouraged someone or made them think differently about a topic. Expect me to be as real as ever in the upcoming months. I pray that something I share will positively impact you because that is the goal.

Lately, my blog posts have been deeply introspective. Today,  I will throw a curve ball, focusing on an extremely practical topic: how questions can help your team reframe its mindset. 

Recently, I sent three questions to our operation team’s leaders:

• What would more automation make possible? 
• From a human perspective, what is the best thing that has happened in your plant in the last 30 days? Feel free to brag on one of your team members!
• What excites you most about coming to work this season? 

I gave the team a few days to think about these questions before we met in person. We kicked off our meeting by discussing them. 

The first question was the only question that contained a “visionary” element to it. Our company currently has more automation projects than ever before, so the question got our leaders thinking about what I hoped they would think about: what more automation could make possible for their team members. One operation team leader shared that more automation would “allow their team to focus on more ‘life-giving’ tasks rather than mundane, repetitive activities.” In essence, this person gave voice to the “why” behind our strategy. 

The second question solicited the strongest responses from the group. One leader shared something I had not previously known: Team members in one of our plants had done some creative things to support a fellow employee who has cancer. It was the kind of story that made tears well up in the eyes of even our most reserved leaders — I was fighting back tears myself. It was touching and helped remind us of the “why” we do what we do: because everything we do matters to people. 

Finally, the last question also solicited strong responses. Some in the group related that while the previous couple of years had been hard, they appreciated the “fun” (their word) automation projects we have going on. Another person mentioned the team they lead and their generosity to someone in need. And yet another explained that they were enjoying the experience of building into one of their staffers, watching them flourish. 

As we got ready to move on to other topics, I asked the team if they felt different after discussing these questions — and all said they did. One even commented that they felt renewed to talk about the business issues of the day. 

I agreed — It was exactly what I needed as well. 

This is the power of questions. And my invitation to you is to ask good ones this week. Questions will help make your week better and your team stronger. 

One of the reasons I have curbed my social media use is because it tempts me to portray a version of myself that is not entirely accurate. Sure, it feels good to post pictures of the cool places, experiences, and events I have been blessed to partake in — but those things don’t capture the inner workings of me. At their best, they are examples of some of the fun I have been fortunate to have. At their worst, they are attempts to justify my self-worth as someone that is someone. 

If the above is too blunt, the rest of the post may be uncomfortable to read. In this post, I will attempt to uncover myself — at least as much as possible in a short blog post. In a sense, I am writing a journal entry that I’m sharing publicly through this blog. 

Why am I doing this? Because I realize that to lead others well, you must first lead yourself well. To do that, you need to understand who you really are. While there are many ways to do that — I work with an executive coach, accountability partner, and have countless conversations with my wife, Sarah, to name a few — one of the best ways is to jot down thoughts on a piece of paper. 

Leaders, before reading on, ask yourself: when was the last time you thought about why you do some of the things you do? What drives you? What is behind your pursuits? Wouldn’t uncovering these motivations help you lead yourself better? 

Getting Uncomfortable

So, without further ado, let’s get uncomfortable. 

At my worst, I carry shame. Shame is always rooted in the past. It can be things I have done or even something done to me. But it is never healthy or life-giving. Nor is shame from Jesus. It is always from the evil one. 

I used to think I was at my best when my work ethic went into overdrive. I’d get up early, work out hard, get to work, write a blog post before 10 a.m. on Monday, complete all my tasks, and fill my planner with check marks. Rinse and repeat. I’d get stuff done. 

At home, I do the same. I have a plan of attack for everything. I read more books than I can remember. I work hard. And I feel good about myself when I work hard. 

Did you read that last line? 

What’s at the core of that feeling — feeling good about myself when I work hard? 

It’s about: 

• Feeling good about myself 
• Feeling like I am enough
• Having others see my good work ethic 
• Being seen as “with it” or knowledgeable on a topic 
• Being praised

I can go on, but I will stop here. 

Grinding Through It

All this is good until it is not. I realized recently that I have been tired for about ten years. Sure, the doctor says my bloodwork is “great,” but I’ll admit that I’ve felt tired since my son Will was born in 2011. While this is a funny (and mostly true) joke, it is also a sad admission of how much I have gritted my teeth to get where I am today. 

Okay, I am exaggerating a bit. Sure, not every day of the past ten years has been of the “teeth-grinding” variety — and I’m of the firm belief that some teeth-grinding is necessary to do the hard things — but the overall point remains that I often pursue work as a way to boost my ego and eliminate negative feelings I have about myself. 

In recent years, I have found myself at my best when I relax. 

Working hard is not my problem; taking work of any kind too seriously is. 

The Present of Your Presence

I am at my best when I think less about words like “balance” and more about words like “presence.” Being fully present is more challenging than ever but more rewarding than ever. How do I achieve that presence? It isn’t by tackling 48 tasks on my to-do list and trying to simultaneously be present — presence is its own thing. 

I am at my best when I see the golf shot, feel it, and trust my ability to hit it. All mechanical thoughts — my vain human attempt to be good enough — are not present. 

I lead myself best when I see it, feel it, and trust it in everything I do. I admit that sounds idealistic and a little too “new age,” but it is the admission that all I can do is my best. And I should trust that whatever my best is will be good enough. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for leadership, fatherhood, or anything else. 

I also confess that I write a lot about golf because I have never measured up to my own expectations. I have failed. I had dreams I did not fully pursue in my youth, only to find those dreams come back and haunt me later. I write about that now because I fear making the same mistake in weightier matters. This is also why I “swing aggressively” when it is time to take the next shot! 

A Focus on Others Helps Me Lead Myself

I am broken. 

I am at my best when I realize this. I am best when I get outside myself long enough to notice others. To really see others. I am most proud of myself when I do that. 

Leadership is the process of doing things with and through other people. It was not until this post that I realized that focusing on leading others helps me lead myself. For it contains all the ingredients (other people and their interests) that help me get past myself, my shame, and my brokenness. 

It truly is more blessed to give than receive — and I know I’m at my best when I give. 

A Last Note

I may be broken, but Jesus says I am enough. There is nothing I can do to earn his love, nor is there anything I can do to lose it. There are consequences to every action, but my identity is secure. Brokenness can only persist when that identity is forgotten. Someone reading this post needed to hear that, which is why I added this last paragraph a month after writing everything above it.

I was recently reminded of the power of repetition, and how change happens suddenly over time. If the second half of that sentence does not seem to make sense, allow me to explain. 

Working in manufacturing, I make it a point to walk our production floor every day I am in the office. I want to see, know, and connect with the people who make up our team — and the only way to do that is by actually doing that, rather than giving lip service to it. I’ve learned that I simply put on my walking shoes and get moving! 

Repetition Leads to Routine

The first day that you go out and walk the shop floor, nothing will look or feel different. If you’re like me you would see people working across an injection molding facility. They would see you, with many waving or saying hello. It would be a good experience, potentially even an interesting one, but not a transformative one. You might be tempted to think it was not worth the effort. After all, you had to stop whatever it was that you were doing to go walk the production floor. 

Then the next day comes, and again, you would have a choice to make. Did yesterday matter? It probably did not feel like it did. It was nice seeing people, hearing from a few of them, but it was hardly transformational. Should you do it again? You committed to it, so out of pure commitment you do. 

You do the same the next day, and the day after that. A few weeks later, you realize that this is turning into a routine. Since it is part of your routine, you no longer have to be as intentional as you were at the beginning. It simply is part of what you do. 

Routine Leads to Transformation

At some point along the way, you’ll start to realize that the friendly nods and hellos are turning into some occasional conversations. The conversations are the best part. You begin to learn about of the challenges your teammates are facing at work, and occasionally, at home. 

Then one day, if you are like me, you realize that change has happened suddenly over time. This happens when you find yourself having one of those conversations that make the whole day worthwhile. The kind that is both meaningful and transformational. The kind that makes you feel like it was destiny. Sure, your title might be something fancy, but titles are just external descriptors of what you sort of do. Conversations like these, however, are tied to the person you are: A leader who realizes that they can only make things happen with, and through, other people. 

And this only happens through the power of repetition. The reality that each moment matters, and that each moment spent well, leads to transformational change. 

It happens suddenly, but over time. 

Many leaders I talk with have shared their frustration over one of their employees not performing as well as they could. They often refer to this problem as the problem of a difficult employee — an employee who isn’t giving them the results they want. 

Often, they place the focus on the problematic employee. The employee isn’t motivated. They are not doing what they are supposed to do. Their work is inconsistent. You get the idea. 

A Different Perspective

What if the difficult employee is not the problem? What if the problem is the leader? 

What if the leader has failed to set clear expectations of what performing well looks like? What if the leader has not regularly communicated their expectations? What if the leader has had many conversations about the difficult employee but never discussed their concerns with the employee in question? 

Blaming others is a lot like indulging in too much sugar. It tastes good going down and even leads to a short-term high, but it inevitably upsets your stomach and leaves you feeling worse. 

To be a real leader, you must own the problems you’ve helped create. And here is the reality: If you have someone on your team that you classify as a problematic employee, you have contributed to it. I’ll allow that you possibly hired the wrong person to begin with, but that is also on you. Or, more likely, there is something about your leadership that is lacking, and you are dealing with the repercussions. 

Been There, Done That

How do I know this? Because I have been there and done that. 

The Hoffer Plastics salesperson who wasn’t performing up to par was never the main problem or root cause. 

I was. 

I sometimes still am. 

How’s that for reality? 

So, where do we go from here? 

We take our medicine by owning it and changing our behavior going forward. 

On the front end, we make sure that we spend a LOT (emphasis needed) of time with potential hires. At Hoffer Plastics, I want to know that these potential teammates (not employees) are humble, hungry, and smart. This means they are team players who think about others more than themselves. They are self-starters. They also have a high emotional quotient (EQ) and know how to interact with others well. This keeps our team moving in sync and avoids inadvertently adding “difficult” folks to our team. 

Occasionally, however, “difficult” still makes it through the interview process. And that is always on me, not the person who made it through. But all is not lost. 

Clear Communication and Expectations

I believe in the power of clear communication and expectations. Sometimes tricky situations occur because communication and expectations are lacking. A Key Results Area (KRA), for example, gives a team member the blueprint for what success in their job entails. It also aligns the leader and employee to what the expectations are.  

There is no perfect way to write a KRA, but it must describe what winning looks like. If that sounds cheesy or too simplistic, then we are on to something. You do not need a Harvard MBA to be a successful leader — you need to be able to communicate clearly enough that a fifth grader can understand what winning looks like. 

Here is an example for a salesperson:

Key Result Area #1: Land new customers in the medical market 

What winning looks like: 

Winning means that we have a new relationship in our fastest-growing market. It will energize our team and bring a level of personal satisfaction for the contribution I have made. It also recognizes that my contribution is just one of many. We are one team. This will take the team working together, so winning will happen with everyone at the finish line together. 

What it will take: 

• Attendance at MD&M Medical Design & Manufacturing show
• Handwritten thank you notes to people that stop at our booth 
• One-on-one, in-person meetings with prospective customers 
• Learning how to help the customer win and guiding them elsewhere if we can’t help 
• Quick (within X hours/days) responses to questions and RFQs
• Gaining commitment when all the above aligns.

The above example clarifies what success looks like and what it will take to be successful. 

The Choice is Yours

Difficulty only arises when the team member is not doing what it takes or is doing things in a way that contradicts the company’s values. When this happens, the leader should produce the KRA and/or company values and honestly discuss them with the employee. 

Coming full circle, the point of this post is to get you to consider what you can do in your leadership to address difficult employees. You have to choose whether you want to keep eating sugar — blaming the difficult employee for everything — and feeling bad in the long run? Or do you want to take your medicine — realizing your contribution to the mess you are observing — and work to fix the problem? 

The latter is a different approach and one that leads the organization back to health.