by Roger A. Smith, CPP, Payroll Management Consultant

“A Trip to the Zoo”

I took my granddaughter to the Zoo recently.  She was very excited to go.  Before we left home we read a book about going to the Zoo, and in the car we talked about all the animals.  She wanted to see the bears, and the lions, and the zebras.  But her very favorite animals are the giraffes.  She wanted to see the giraffes most of all.

The Detroit Zoo has built a platform next to the giraffe exhibit and, for a small additional fee, visitors can feed treats to the giraffes at a specified time.  Would she like to feed a giraffe?  Oh, yes!  How exciting to be able to see a giraffe face-to-face and to feed him a special treat!  She couldn’t wait! 

While waiting for the appointed hour, we visited the penguins, the butterflies, the camels, the tigers, and the bears, but all she could talk about was getting to feed a giraffe.   At the appointed hour, we lined up behind many other excited visitors and slowly moved up in line.  When we finally got to the platform and were handed our treats for the giraffes, my granddaughter took hers, took one look at the giraffe’s up-close face, and said, “Grandpa, you do it.”

Of course, this is not an unusual experience for a child.  I imagine many of you anticipated what would happen before you got to the end of the story.  Yet, how many of us adults exhibit exactly the same behavior?  How often have you had a really great idea to pursue, yet when it comes time to commit to it, you decide to back away?  Perhaps you thought “maybe I won’t be able to succeed” or “if it fails, I’ll look stupid.”  It’s been said that “Heroes are not those who do not fear, but those who conquer their fears.”  The difference between an ordinary person and a hero is simply that the hero overcomes the fear.

In my next webinar for WorkForce Software I suggest that now is the time to implement a virtual office for the Payroll Department. I provide supporting arguments and statistics citing the advantages to the employer, the employee and the environment. I expect that most webinar participants will agree that it is a good thing to do.  Yet, how many will actually pursue the idea? How many will come face-to-face with this “giraffe” and then decide to “let someone else do it” instead?
I’m hoping that at least one webinar participant will overcome the fear factor, take the bold step, and become a payroll superhero!

“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.”
-- Bill Cosby

As always, if you have any questions or comments, my email address is Roger.Smith@PayrollProf.com.