Ode to Loyalty
                                         
                                          

        Many people throw around the the phrase "man's best friend" when referring to dogs. I found it interesting through the discussions from this week's homework assignment which centered around loyalty that there were many comparison with dogs. Some of the thoughts I had were serious and others were silly yet, insightful. I would like to approach this post a bit differently this week. I want to express the importance of loyalty in business by comparing two types of dogs as a metaphor for the environment and employees entrepreneurs should strive to surround themselves with in their businesses. With no further adieu I'd like to draw your attention to the above picture. Here you see a little boy and a "loyal" dog. This dog is one that parents, and children alike have no fear of the dog getting angry and biting them. This loyalty is born through training, experiences, and love. A loyal dog is one that many times you hear stories of coming to the rescue when you are in need.

                                 
The loyal dog earns the respect and love of its owners gaining "special" treatment and "extra" love. So it is with a loyal employee. I will elaborate a bit more after we speak of the next dog.Dog number two is the dog of which is feared like that of the "BEAST" from the movie The Sandlot.

                                 
This is the dog that children and employees fear. The dog is not trained, not obedient, and surely not considered loyal. Loyalty has more to do with obedience in the worlds of dogs and business than it does anything else. Everyone knows that annoying dog who defecates all over the house making a mess and causing problems ruining your home and the things you worked so hard to obtain. Is this any different than the employee who is constantly running to HR or their manager with the problem of the week which seems life or death. This could be the individual who sleeps all days and hardly moves or wont work without some sort of incentive. You have to give them a treat to get them to go through the motions of going outside (like a trained dog). In the long run this dog sleeps all day, eats all day, and will never listen to what you say. This "monster" wastes resources (Eats all the food) and in the end does nothing because it would rather sleep and lick its nose. This is the same dog that will lash out at you an try to bit you if you step to close or try to get it to be obedient.



 


No matter how big or small this dog is it could be the worst "friend", "pet", or "employee" you come in contact with. My step mother in law has a Shiatsu dog that is not trained and acts exactly like the above. This dog has ruined carpets and made children bleed. This is not nor will it ever be a "loyal" creature.


In conclusion, no one has heard of the famous dog "Gizmo" because he is bad and does nothing but causes problems. However, there are many loyal dogs like Lassie or Buddy who have movies made about them.


So it is with the good employees. Hopefully they are the ones we keep around and work with. Let us train them, learn from them, love them, and through time trust one another.